A Hylian's Tales of Souls and Swords
by Sokulski
Summary: Part 1 of 4! After defeating Vaati and coming across a shard of Soul edge. Link travels through a portal to the world of Soul Calibur. There he meets people who will be the key to saving their world and Hyrule.
1. The Monk Named Kilik

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! I'm inspired after playing Soul calibur III & Zelda the twilight princess again!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 1-

It was the middle of the night. The town was in darkness. The rain showed no mercy in its harsh cold storm. The lights were on inside of a small inn. The people inside were soaked. A small fireplace was lit in the corner of the room, attempting to warm the soaked customers.

Despite the normally loud and bustling of the small inn, it was silent. The soft tapping of the rain against the windows joined by soft rumbles of thunder hushed them.

A tall young man with sapphire blue eyes and soft skin with a powdery complexion sat at the table closest to the fireplace. He wore a long black cloak, the hood was pulled low over his face, hiding his eyes. The tips of his long bangs were visible on his cheeks. There were strange markings embodied on the back of the cloak.

People sitting at other tables glanced at his iron shield. The design was odd to these people. It was finely crafted, maybe even too fine. It gave the impression it could have been crafted for a king. It glinted in the dim candle lit bar area. Eyes were glued to it, especially the eyes of thieves not planning to pay for their drinks.

A finely crafted sword with a brown leather handle and sheath sat behind the shield. It wasn't as fine as the shield, but the craftsman's ship was noticeable and to a thief's eyes, valuable on market.

The young man listened to the cracks and snaps of the burning wood. He had no need to see the people at the other tables giving him odd looks. He could sense it. He was not a regular young man all together. He was different from them, among a different species. He was no Human; he was a Hylian. This Hylian sat quieter than the humans did. Not one yawn, not one cough or sign of allergic reactions. His blue eyes stared at the flames. The young Hylian was completely lost in thought. The people could only guess what was on this odd person's mind.

The Hylian blinked back to reality as the waitress brought his drink.

"Twenty." She said quietly. The Hylian pulled two large blue sapphires out of a pouch sitting on the table under his palm.

"Will this be alright?" he asked calmly. The waitress stared. He could hear the people gasp and whisper. He knew the currency of his world was different from this one. Each land he ventured across had a different currency. It was far too confusing for him.

"Oh! Uh…yes of course! Thank you so much sir!" she said bowing. The Hylian reached for his drink, ready to take in what would surely warm his body before he headed out again. Unfortunately, that would not be so. A strong hand grabbed his wrist and pinned it to the table. People gasped as the owner of the hand suddenly pulled out a dagger and swiftly moved behind the Hylian's seat. He put the blade close against the Hylian's neck and grinned.

"You've got to be a fool to be carrying around jewels." He purred in the Hylian's ear. The Hylian didn't move. In a situation like this, he would need to wait for the right moment.

"I'll be taking that shield too." The thief chuckled. The Hylian merely waited. He watched the rippling in his drink.

"Are you listening to me?" he demanded as he pulled the Hylian back towards him. The Hylian watched as he slapped away the porcelain cup and again pinned his wrist to the table.

"Try and stop me!" he said grinning. The Hylian glanced in the corner of his eye at a sudden motion. He silently relaxed as an unnamed force would come and aid him. The thief released him and was sent flying across the room. The Hylian calmly picked up the knife that had dropped into his lap and placed it on the table. He calmly stood up and picked up the pieces of the porcelain cup.

"Are you alright?" the one who had aided hi asked calmly.

"Thank you." The Hylian said calmly as he again picked up the dagger. The man who had helped him had brown hair that reached his shoulders. He held a long rod in his hand. A long blue cloth hung over his comfortable looking red pants with a golden belt.

"Don't worry about it." He replied as he put away his rod. The Hylian quietly gathered up his sword and shield as the waitress walked over to him and began to pick up the pieces of the cup.

"You think you two are so smart, huh?" the thief barked. The three looked over at the thief as his two friends helped him up.

"This isn't over!" he growled as they helped him outside into the rain. The waitress frowned as she grabbed the last piece.

"He left his dagger." The Hylian said quietly. The waitress looked over at him and saw him holding out the dagger without even looking at her. The waitress could see his perfect face. She blushed as she took it and thanked him.

"I hope this isn't much to ask, but one of those jewels you have. I can pay you for one. You see my fiancé at home is waiting for me and I wanted to get her a present." He explained. The Hylian silently pulled out a long pendant with a three golden triangles connected by the corners. A ruby, an emerald and a sapphire were inside each recess of the center of the triangles.

"It's gorgeous!" the waitress gasped. The Hylian tossed the pendant over to the man and walked over to the door.

The man caught it and stared at it.

"Oh! Thank you!" he called before the Hylian closed the door behind him.

"_There is a force I sense through the portal you discovered; two of them one good and one evil. Locate both of them and destroy this evil. My dreams scream of torment and pain. These forces will reach our world. Link, you must destroy it." _

"_Stop worrying, I've had those dreams too. I'll stop it." _

This memory haunted the Hylian's mind. He walked in the rain, silenced by the thoughts of his mission. He was in an unfamiliar world, but what caused him a feeling of emptiness was one simple thing; He was alone. He stopped at the sound of a scream, followed by laughing. He instantly pulled out his sword and ran down the street.

The thieves from the bar laughed as they whipped a limp body, the man was dying. The Hylian sheathed his sword and took out his bow and an arrow. The man he shot screamed as he fell back. The Hylian readied another arrow and waited for the thief to charge at him. Instead the thief turned and slashed the man who had helped him in the bar. The man screamed from the pain. The Hylian released the arrow and whirled around. The thief that had threatened him at the bar stared as he shoved the top of the bow into the thief's stomach. He coughed and fell to his knees. The Hylian instantly drew his sword and decapitated the thief. Blood flew in all directions as the Hylian walked over to the man who had previously saved him.

"…U-Unflinchingly, you killed them…I whish…" his voice trailed off. The Hylian scooted his hand under the back of his head. He breathed heavily, glancing at him a few times. The Hylian knew his hood had fallen onto his shoulders, now his face was visible, and his pointed Hylian ears.

"W-What…are you…?" he said in a weak voice. The Hylian frowned.

"A monster." he said slowly.

"I…I don't believe…what's, you're name?" he barely managed to speak.

"Link." The Hylian replied.

"L-Link…g-give this to X-Xianghua…she's my…she's my…" his voice again trailed off.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly.

"Kilik…"

"Who is your master?" Link asked softly.

"He's the edge master…"

"Xianghua…tell her…tell her I…"

"I will give it to your master to give to her, I have no time." Link said calmly. Kilik grabbed his hand with an extremely weak grip.

"Please, I beg you…S-She's the world to…me…" Kilik's body stopped moving, his eyes turned glassy blood ran down his neck. Link silently took the necklace from his cold hand and dropped it into his pocket. He quietly reached for his eyes and closed them.

The rain had stopped around dawn. Link finished tying the scarlet colored rod to the wooden cross he had put at the head of the monk's grave. Link silently placed a small bouquet of flowers on the grave.

"I searched your mind moments before your death Kilik. The least I could do was burry you next to your sister." He said quietly. He silently took a step back and turned.

He pulled out a necklace with an odd shaped horn and blew a tune that echoed through the field. He stopped when he heard a familiar whinny. A large mare with a healthy red coat galloped towards him. Link walked over to his stead as she slowed to a stop and mounted. The wind blew gently as he backed out of the shade of the large tree. Its pink petals blew into the air, the sky was clear and blue. The grass was lit up with the sunlight.

"Be at piece, I will see what I can do." He spoke to Kilik's grave. Link silently looked away from the grave and pulled the hood low over his face. He kicked the side of his mare, and steered her up the hill. He was on his way, to continue his mission.

That's it!! No flames please!! R&R!!


	2. The Priestess Named Talim

Ch. 2

Link silently rode through the endless fields. It was difficult to find his way since there wasn't a map or anything to guide him. It had slipped his mind to ask for directions. Epona's ears flickered and turned towards him. Something had caught her attention. He glanced around the fields and pulled on Epona's reins. The mare stopped and gazed in the same direction as her master. There was a tall thin horse staring back at them with its ears alert. It was mostly brown with white blotches scattered all over its coat. White feathers were tied in its main. There was a stringed saddle fastened on its back and a halter made of thin rope. It stood under a large tree and a few feet away from it stood a black windmill. Link could sense something evil inside of it. It had the same aura as the fragment he had in his pocket. That was the entire reason for this mission. Vaati had attacked Hyrule, and used that fragment to fight. It opened a portal, one where an evil aura was pouring in. That was why he had to come here, to stop the source of it.

Link silently rode over to the other horse and dismounted. The horse bobbed its head and stomped its foot. Link silently reached for it and rubbed his snout. The horse snorted and stomped its hoof again. It was beautiful. It was a young mare, and pretty calm too. The two horses turned to the windmill. Link looked in the direction and frowned. He saw someone inside. After drawing his master sword, he silently walked into the windmill.

"Who's in here?" he demanded. There came no response. Link silently walked through a doorway and gazed around the room. His eyes fell upon a young girl with long black hair. She was dressed in short white pants and a green bustier. An intricate olden necklace hung from her neck. She wore green leather boots that reached her knees. Two thin and short blades were in her arms.

"W-Who are you?" she asked nervously. Link lowered his sword and frowned. The aura was coming from her but…she was too afraid to even attack.

"A-Are you…Kilik?" she asked slowly. Link looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know Kilik?" Link asked slowly. The girl slowly stood.

"He…was supposed to train me. I was told to stay here and wait for him…" she explained. Link frowned.

"Kilik is dead. He was murdered by a pack of thieves in the last town I was in." he explained. The girl's tan skin went pale, her large brown eyes widened.

"He's…" she couldn't speak. Tears threatened her eyes.

"Go home. You're training will not be realized." Link said as he began to leave.

"Wait!" she called after him. Link walked over to Epona and turned to her.

"I've traveled for a month to get here! I cannot return!" she said quickly. Link frowned. He couldn't take this girl with her…but he couldn't send her alone either…

"What's your name?" Link asked.

"Talim." She replied. Link sighed exasperatedly.

"Please! Allow me to go with you! I promise I will not be a burden!" she pleaded. Link frowned. He couldn't take this girl with him…could he?

"I know these lands, if you are lost I could help you!" she said quickly. Link frowned. He would take her, but only until they reached a town. He would leave her there and continue.

"Alright, but we don't stop until nightfall." Link said as he mounted. Talim thanked him and quickly mounted her mare. Talim lead him through the fields and past the river that ran past the windmill.

"How far is the next town?" Link called.

"At least a day or two, but it is only a riverside town!" she responded. Link frowned. Well, she wouldn't be there long anyway.

That's it!! R&R!!


	3. The Ottoman Empire

Ch. 3

Link silently cooked the meat of his catch of the day. He turned the meat around and glanced at Talim who was sitting by the river filling their canteens with its water. He again turned the meat and watched their horses gallop by. Both free of their loads and riding equipment. Both trained to stay near their masters. Both horses neighing and whinnying joyfully as they chased each other around in the field. It was no surprise to him that Epona would enjoy having a companion of her own while aiding him. He looked over at Talim again and saw her standing with a black bird perched on her arm. She said something to it and smiled kindly. He silently went back to cooking the deer's meat and listened to the bird flapping its mighty wings.

"That is my bird Alun. I had her since she was a chic." Talim said kindly as she sat on a flat rock next to the fire. Link silently took a rock he had cleaned and placed a slab of meat on it before handing it to Talim.

"Have you been able to purify the fragments of Soul Edge?" Link asked quietly. Talim frowned.

"I have only weakened them. Although, they have all merged together." She explained as she took out what looked like a section of a blade covered with blood veins. Link took it slowly and examined it.

"Your hands are burnt." He said as he gently grabbed her wrist. The skin on her hands were scorched, did the fragments do this?

"I have been using too much purification, that is all." She explained. Link released her and looked away slowly.

The two ate their portions of the meat and finished off the leg of the deer in silence.

The breeze was getting colder as they continued west. It would get colder soon. The sun had already reached its position for indicating noon. Once again, they were continuing west. Navigation was difficult without a map, but Talim knew these lands. Yet another reason why keeping her around for a while longer would be useful. The wind began to pick up after hours of travel. The stench of salt in the air came next. Alun swooped down and landed on Talim's shoulder, there were gulls in this part of the skies.

Link saw the many ships in the small harbor. In truth it was a river, but this river ran through the land and was constantly mixed with ocean water. Traveling by river would be much safer than the sea itself. He feared for their horses if pirates were to attack their ship. It would be much easier on their supplies if they took a ship instead of traveling along the rocky earth around the river however.

"Are we going to take a ship?" Talim asked slowly. Link didn't answer. He could sense among the people in the harbor, an evil force. Was it Soul Edge?

"Link?" she called.

"Should we?" he asked slowly.

"It depends on where we are attempting to go." She said calmly. Link frowned. He barely knew anything about this world. In the town where he met Kilik, he followed a rumor about a priestess with the power to purify evil. Now she was traveling with him-for the time being. But it didn't change anything. He needed more information.

"What all do you know about Soul Edge?" Link asked calmly. The two were seated along the side of the river, watching the ships sail by.

"Soul Edge…I followed rumors speaking of an Azur Knight wielding Soul Edge." She said slowly.

"Azur night?" Link repeated.

"I do not know much of this knight, other than the fact that hat he was once a human." She explained.

"Once? So what is he?" Link asked slowly.

"If the stories are true, he is a puppet for Soul Edge." She explained.

"Soul Edge…what is it exactly?" Link asked slowly. Talim looked down at the lapping water and frowned.

"It is a cursed sword. One that looks and feels grotesque just as this large piece does." She replied, as she looked the piece over.

"A sword? But it can't be complete if we have pieces that just merged together." Link said reasoning with his confusion.

"According to the rumors, the pieces are gathering. One by one, Soul Edge is calling for them. There have been even people from my village who have been slaughtered for the pieces by once honorable men." She explained.

"What happened to them?" Link asked slowly.

"They were driven mad by the fragments of Soul Edge. It is said, that with more murder and madness, they call the Azur knight to them. His human name has apparently been lost, but I do know the name Soul Edge has given him." She explained.

"What name is that?" Link asked slowly.

"He now calls himself; Nightmare."

"Nightmare…"

"If we do take the ship down the river, it should take us outside of this peninsula. There was talk of a swords woman in The Ottoman Empire who has actually seen the blade. She can also purify the fragments just as I can. Perhaps she could aid us." Talim suggested.

"There is no need." He said calmly. Talim looked up at him as he stood.

"But why not?" she asked in surprise.

"I prefer to work alone." He said calmly. Talim frowned.

"The Ottoman Empire?" Link repeated.

"The journey is at least eight days on the river, and seven day on the sea." She explained.

"Two weeks and one day…"

"Shall we?" Talim asked as a ship pulled in. Link nodded. Talim quickly got up and followed him over to the horses.

(A/N): Ok, skipping most of those days! It'll be boring!)

Link woke to a sudden outburst of, "Land Ho!" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled the cloak over his head. He could feel the massive drop in temperature. His breath was visible against the cold air. And if he was cold, he could only imagine how Talim was suffering. He gathered his weapons and walked up to the deck. He could see where some of the wooden planks had frozen. There was ice on the deck. He looked around for Talim and found her dressed in a different colorful garment. Obviously she had packed more clothes for herself. Whatever training Kilik was going to give her, it was probably somewhere cold.

She wore long white pants with blue decorations at the bottom of the pant leg. There were two long sleeves tied by two ribbons around her arms. A thicker cloth was wrapped over her breasts. Over the time, she had been growing. Her hair had grown and was loosely tied by gold and ruby hair ornaments. There were two long blue cloths hanging over her front and back. Her belly area was still visible. The cloth was tied to the golden collar around her neck and to the sides of the cloth covering her breasts. On her head, she wore a hat that looked like a palace jester or a gypsy would wear. One side was pink and the other white with a blue cloth rim surrounding it. There were two blue cloths with white patterns held around her exposed legs by golden and sapphire rings. She wore blue leather shoes with a white flower on each.

Link motioned for her to follow, indicating they were leaving. The two walked to where they were unloading the horses and claimed their steeds.

The two rode down the harbor and looked around at what was called the city of Athens. They rode past the section of the city that rested among the harbor and climbed the icy hills. Once they reached the top, they could see the vast hills filled with houses and buildings. There were mountains in the distance. Talim could not see them, but with his Hylian eyes, Link could see stairs scaling the side of the mountain. There must have been a temple at the top. There were carvings on the steps. The carefully rode down the hill and made their way through the city. Link looked around for an inn with a stable. It wasn't long before they saw one near a marketplace.

Link silently hung Epona and Lunay's saddles on their stable doors. The two horses ate from the hay that was placed within the stables. Talim followed Link into the restaurant. They ate servings of maize, with bread, rice, stake, and crayfish. They drank water and each only a single glass of red wine.

"A toast," Talim said suddenly. Link looked up from his empty plate.

"To?" he asked calmly.

"Us, for our successful journey so far." She said kindly. Link smiled slightly. He brought his glass to hers as he felt his heart sink. He had gotten used to being around her for too long. She was like a younger sister to him. Were those words going to haunt him after he left her behind? He thought about this as he drank the wine.

Their room was rather large, but with only a single bed. There was a stone fireplace. They had lit it that night. On the table were their weapons. The two were fast asleep, under the animal skin blankets. The two were huddled together for warmth. Outside, the snowstorm could be heard, but the cackling sound of the fire soothed them. The next day they would venture up to the temple, perhaps the gods of this land could tell them where the swordswoman was. For now, they would rest.

That's it!! I DON'T WANT ANY REVIEWS SAYING LINK INS A PERVE!! R&R!!


	4. The Temple at The Mountain's Peak

Ch

Ch. 4

After they were dressed, they had headed out to the temple. They climbed the tall staircase that scaled the side of the mountain. The winds chilled them as they drew closer to the temple. Link's thoughts raced to the temples of Hyrule. Was this temple anything like those? When they finally reached the top, he realized they weren't. They stepped onto the bright polished tiles and walked over to a giant statue. It was the statue of a man with short curly hair. He wore a cloth wrap around his waist and held a sword and shield. He was bearded and looked young. Was this the temple's god?

"It is beautiful!" Talim said looking from the statue to the pools with golden statues standing at the surface. Link studied the various colored pillars with the golden framing. Small flakes of snow began to fall. Link looked around, but didn't see any swordswoman. Instead, he sensed an evil presence coming from the shadows of the corridors. His gaze moved to Talim who still gazed in awe at the pool. She wasn't exactly the type to fight, let alone take a life.

"Talim, stay here. If the swordswoman comes tell her to stay with you until I get back." He said calmly. Talim looked over at him and nodded. Link silently walked through the corridor and kept his hand on the handle of the Master Sword. He glanced around for the source of the evil, making sure his cloak still covered his Hylian features. Giving his enemy any information with the chance he would escape didn't faze him as a good thing. The evil presence gave off the same aura as the fragment of Soul edge he had in his pocket. Was that what they were after? He stopped at the sound of a loud hissing. A snake? Link's heart skipped a beat when three thin iron claws sliced into the hood of his cloak and began to spin, and set off a screeching sound. The blades gathered the cloak, yanking it and tearing the cloak to shreds. Link fell back on the ground and looked up at the attacker that practically gave him a heart attack. Link's eyes widened. At first he thought it was a gibdo, but remembering that he was no longer in Hyrule reminded him that wasn't possible. It was a thin, tall bald man with leather straps tied over his eyes and mouth…no more like nailed over its eyes and mouth. It was covered in white bandages over purple leather that covered its body. Golden boots covered its legs and golden gauntlets with the iron claws attached to them. Link quickly recovered his Hylian shield and blocked the snake being's strike. It hissed as Link began to get to his feet. Link dodged the being's lunge and lost his footing, falling back against a wall. He watched in pure confusion as the being paused as though it were listening for him to make a move. Link blinked. Was that it?

Just as that theory began to sink in, he heard the creature inhale loudly through its nose. Link's eyes widened. It was tracking him by his scent. Link held his sword tighter and slowly began to move around a pillar. The creature suddenly spun around and literally tossed itself into the air. Link was pinned against the wall, the sleeve of his tunic was stuck to the wall by one of the claws of the creature, and the elbow of his opposite arm was caught in between two of the claws, now releasing blood. Link tried to calm his breathing as the creature began to move its head closer to his. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't call Talim for help, but that would only put her in danger…but now he was trapped…The creature stopped at the sound of Link's blood dripping. It hissed as it brought its face close to his elbow. Link winced in pain as the creature dug its claws deeper into the wall, ripping the skin on the inner joint of his arm. Link watched in the corner of his eye as his blood fell on the creature's face. It hissed as though in panic then suddenly turned its attention to his pouch. Link bit his lip. The shard of soul edge was inside of it. The creature out of nowhere yanked back its claws and began to wave them back at him. Link instantly dove to the ground and waved his sword at the creature. The creature screeched in pain and thrust a claw at him. Link rolled out of the way and leaned back against the pillar that stood in the room. He watched as the creature continued to thrust its claws into the ground, digging up the tile. Now he was confused. Was it angry? Before he could answer his own question, his eyes fell upon the blood from his arm that now covered the creature's face. It was over its nostrils! Did it think he was still there? Since it could only use scent and hearing to fight, then obviously that was the answer. With the sound of its weapons scraping the tiles gave him the advantage for now.

Link quickly crept up behind the creature and pulled back his sword, ready to thrust it through it's back. Just as he began to move his sword towards the creatures back, it spun around and kicked Link back. Link fell back against the pillar and coughed up a small amount of blood from his throat. The creature moved towards him in its odd way it walked and lifted its blades.

"Link!" he heard Talim gasp. Link didn't take his eyes off of the creature as the blades began to come down upon him. Link shut his eyes tightly and waited for the pain.

"Repent!" a woman's voice yelled. Link's eyes flew open. He watched as the creature flew back, screeching from the pain. It fell with a loud thud and lay there for a moment.

A tall woman with long golden hair stepped in front of him with her shield lifter. A short iron gleaming sword was in her opposite had, begging to be used. Link noticed the bottom of her hair was braided in the same fashion as Zelda. Only she had a long white ribbon tying the braid. She wore a pair of dark brown knee-high sandals and a short white skirt with a blue pattern along the bottom with earrings that matched. A large wrap-around brown leather belt hung over her skirt and dark blue cloth top. White cloth hung from underneath the aqua colored shoulder guards that hung over her slender shoulders. Two thin leather gauntlets were wrapped tightly around her lower arms. The creature suddenly propped itself up by its legs and blades, bending itself as though it were a bridge and began to move towards her as though it were a crab.

"Stay where you are!" she called back to Link before she charged at the creature. Talim ran to his side and bent down next to him, watching the battle nervously.

The woman brought her sword down towards the ground, bending her knees enough for her to dig up some of the tile and gracefully swung it vertically. Link and Talim watched in shock as she slashed the creature across the chest, starting from its waist to the top of its shoulder. The creature screeched and fell back on the ground. She moved in for the kill and skidded to the stop when the creature suddenly wound itself up like a spring and brought its blades at her. She successfully blocked it with her small shield and pulled her sword back, getting ready to thrust it through its stomach.

"Repe-" before she could finish, the creature kicked her back and broke through one of the wooden frames and disappeared into the snowy cliffs. Talim gasped and ran to the woman's side.

"Miss Sophitia! Are you alright?" she asked as she ran to her. Link slowly got to his feet and picked up his shield.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." She said kindly as she stood and dusted off her skirt.

"And you, are you alright?" she asked kindly. Link silently picked up his now shredded cloak and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." He said calmly. Link silently pulled his shield over his shoulder and sheathed his master sword. He silently tore a section of his cloak and tightly wrapped it around the joint of his arm.

"Miss Sophitia?" Talim gasped. Link looked in the direction and froze when he saw her on the ground. He swiftly moved over to her and helped her sit up.

"Forgive me, my wounds…I tire at moments." She said in a weak voice. Before Link could even ask, the fragment of Soul edge in his pouch sent pain erupting through his body.

"Link what is it?" Talim asked quickly. Link held his rib in pain and panted. Sophitia slowly began to sit up and reached for the black cloth he had tied around the joint of his arm and pulled it off. She winced in pain as she grabbed the small red shard that was now attached to the cloth.

"Y-You have a shard…much larger than this…" she said in a weak voice. Link took out the fragment from his pouch. His body surged with pain, causing him to drop it. They all watched as a vein grew from their fragment and attached to the small shard. It dragged it towards it and merged. Then the pain lessened, but wasn't gone. Sophitia bit her lip as she took out another large fragment and reluctantly laced it next to their shard.

"W-What are you-"

"It's the only way to end it…" she said as it merged. Once it finished, it was over. The two relaxed as the pain disappeared. Sophitia lay on the ground with her hand on her rib breathing. Link slowly picked up the shard and studied it. It looked like the piece of a blade...veins hung over it. It even felt disgusting under his fingers.

"You are a Hylian aren't you?" Sophitia asked as he sat up. Link looked at her surprised.

"I am not the first you have seen?"

"No. There was a wizard here. My sister and I fought him." She explained. Link frowned. So Vaati had come to this world…?

"Forgive me, but I wish to show the two of you something." She said as she finished bandaging Link's arm.

"We don't have much time to stay here." Link said slowly.

"You are searching for information, yes?" she asked calmly. Link frowned.

"Please, Link you must rest! You almost collapsed!" Talim pleaded. Link sighed exasperatedly.

"I assure you it will not take long." She said calmly.

"Fine." Link said calmly.

That's it!! R&R!!


	5. The Swordswoman named Sophitia

Hi Peeps

Hi Peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 5

--

-

The three walked into a large home near the square. Link and Talim looked around at the living area. There were all different kinds of shields and swords hanging on the walls. In the kitchen area, there was a large oven with bread baking. Sophitia walked over to the kitchen and pulled out the stone that was holding the bread. She placed it on a platter that displayed breads, cakes, rolls, pastries and baked dishes they had never seen before.

"It smells wonderful!" Talim said as she took in the aroma. Sophitia smiled kindly as she walked over to a table and placed three porcelain cups on it.

"I apologize for having to discuss such things within my house, but it is safer here." She said slowly. Link glanced at the doorway next to the wall with swords and shields hanging from it. A tall blond man walked out of the room wiping his hands with a burnt cloth. Link remembered from outside they could see one of the chimneys emitting an unusual amount of smoke. He could tell he was a blacksmith.

"Sophitia, you have finally returned." He said grinning. Sophitia smiled slightly and hugged him. He kissed her lovingly and grabbed something from the counter. Sophitia took it quietly and frowned at what he whispered in her ear.

"This is my husband, Rothion." Sophitia said calmly. Rothion nodded to them and shook Link's hand.

"Link is a Hylian, like the wizard we had seen?" she said slowly.

"Hopefully you aren't another wizard." He said kindly. Link didn't say anything in response. He noticed a sadness in Sophitia's eyes.

"I am Talim, Rothion." Talim introduced herself.

"I see it is obvious you are of a different culture." He said kindly. Talim smiled as he kissed her hand.

"Sophitia, I am needed in town. Do not disappear without a goodbye." He said calmly. Sophitia nodded and watched him leave.

"May I get you two anything to drink? I must check on my children." She explained.

"Is there something wrong?" Talim asked.

"I will explain this as well. Please, sit! Make yourselves comfortable!" she said kindly. Talim and Link glanced at each other and walked into the kitchen. They sat at the table as she poured them a red colored juice. She poured a glass for herself and put the pitcher on the table. The three looked up at the sound of a cough.

"Mama?" a voice coughed. They saw a young boy dresses in comfortable looking black pants and no shirt.

"Patroklos!" Sophitia gasped.

"You should be resting! My son why are you out of your bed?" she asked as she practically ran to him.

Link and Talim once again glanced at each other. He was sure that Talim could also sense the presence of Soul Edge within her son. Was this what Sophitia wanted to tell them?

"I do not want you to go again mother." He said as tears began to flow. Sophitia kissed the child's forehead.

"Excuse me, I am sorry." She apologized. Link and Talim nodded and watched in silence as they disappeared in the hallway.

"How the children must suffer so." Talim whispered. Link sighed and turned back to the table. He slowly took the drink and drank the tart juice.

"I believe it may be pomegranate." Talim said as she finished a sip. Link ignored the bit of information and thought about her children. If Soul Edge were able to reach Hyrule, would the same thing happen to the Hylian children? Then a thought struck him, the people here knew little about his species. Why did Hylians leave these lands? True the atmosphere had less magic, but was there another reason? They could hear Sophitia speaking to her children from the kitchen.

"Rest, Pyrrha." They heard her say.

"Mother, are there two other people here?" a girl's voice asked slowly.

"They are friends, do not worry." They heard her reply.

"Mother, I think one of them was an elf! From the stories you brought home before!" the boy said excitedly. Talim smiled at the suggestion. Link grinned slightly at the innocence of the suffering children.

"He is not. Now both of you rest. Did you take the medicine?" they heard her ask.

"Yes." The two sighed. They heard Sophitia close a door and walked back down the hallway.

"Forgive me." She said as she sat down at the table.

"There is no need to apologize. You are a mother doing her duties." Link said calmly. Talim nodded.

"Perhaps we should begin with where you two had begun to travel." She said kindly.

"Only if you can speak to no one of this." Link replied. Sophitia nodded.

So Link explained about his journey in Hyrule and how he met Talim. Then Talim intervened and explained how she ended up meeting Link. Now it was Sophitia's turn.

"My life had been simple. But one day, I thought I had met a god." She began. "He told me of Soul Edge and to destroy it. Recently, I came back from my second journey. The first time, I succeeded in destroying one half of Soul Edge." She explained.

"One half?" Talim asked in shock. Sophitia nodded.

"But unfortunately, I received many injuries by the flying shards of the shattering blade. While I was on the second journey, word had reached my ears that Soul Edge had been destroyed, so I returned home." She continued.

"We were happy. Even blessed with two children. But one day, a customer of my husband gave him a metal fragment that the children found. They fought each other violently over the shard. The aura emitting from it caused my wounds to once again cause me pain." She explained.

"It was a fragment of Soul Edge." Link said after a moment. Sophitia nodded.

"I realized that my body was infected by its evil even before they were removed. My sister Cassandra disappeared two weeks ago. She left with the shard of Soul Edge. I was hoping to free my children from this evil, but it still remains." She said sadly. Link frowned and thought about all of the children from this world and Hyrule. Would they all suffer as these children were?

"You said Soul Edge had infected your body?" Link asked. Sophitia nodded.

"Soul Edge is a demon sword that can control its wielder. I even knew him before…" her voice trailed off.

"It's wielder?" Talim repeated. Sohitia sighed.

"His name is Nightmare. There will be rumors along the journey of an Azure knight. That is Nightmare. He has gone mad with the power the sword holds. He is a warrior with a demonic right arm. With the power of the blade, they find anyone who possesses its shards. One by one, they capture souls and fuel the blade's power. Nightmare has a simple goal, and that is to restore the blade to what it once was." Sophitia explained.

_'Nightmare…"_ Link thought to himself. The mere mention of the blade's wielder caused the fragments in the pouch to cause his body pain. Link decided against not speaking of the fragments, now was not the time to have any further worry.

"That is why I wish, to journey with both of you." She said suddenly. Talim looked over at her. Link looked up in surprise.

"I know it is much to ask, but I whish to see things through to the end. I want to see it become nothing more than dust." Sophitia explained.

"And what makes you think we will even succeed?" Talim asked slowly.

"What both of you have told me, I understand that both of you have much potential. Soul Edge must be destroyed. I want to help destroy it. I want my hands to also be responsible for its demise." She explained.

"It will be destroyed. I will destroy it." Link interrupted.

"Alone will not grant you a victory against the cursed blade!" She said sternly. Link frowned. He already had the decision in mind to leave Talim behind to continue his journey. Sophitia had provided the necessary information, or at least enough information to make the search easier. He still had no idea what Nightmare's weakness could be, or Soul Edge's. There was still much he needed to learn about the sword. But what made him worry, was that they had fragments that had merged together, did that mean that Soul Edge and Nightmare was looking for them now? If that was the case, they had to leave immediately. Leaving Talim behind would also be good. He had the fragments, if Nightmare was looking for it, then he should be absolutely sure Talim and Sophitia were far away from him. He always worked alone, but could Soul Edge really be that powerful? Large groups never worked out, they were far easier to detect.

"I believe that Sophitia is correct. Link, no one can do this alone." Talim said trying to reason with the Hylian warrior.

"If you do have a large fragment, than all hope of secrecy is worthless. The shards call to the sword, it knows where they are and chooses to go after who ever it wants." Sophitia explained. Link frowned.

It sickened him to mentally make this decision again, would he really go as far as abandoning both of them later on? No, he would see it through with them, but only if their lives weren't threatened on his account.

"Alright, but we keep a pace to our travel." Link said after a moment.

"Protect our children." Sophitia said as she hugged Rothion.

"With my life." He replied as he held her. Sophitia slowly pulled away and hugged both of her children.

"Behave for your father. I will come home soon." She said kindly. Link and Talim watched as Sophitia kissed their heads and walked back over to Rothion. They kissed before Rothion handed Sophitia her brown leather bag. Equipment to sharpen blades were strapped on the closed flap. Blue shoulder guards were visible from the open fold through the strap. Clothing was neatly folded underneath the armor and a pair of leather sandals. She brought along bandages and medicine and a few packages of food.

"Be careful." Rothion warned. Her family watched as the three walked down the street and disappeared into the distance.

"Where are we going to next?" Talim asked.

"An old Friend I had met in Korea said that she had heard rumors of fragments of Soul Edge in the city of Alexandria. There is a crypt that has information on the walls, and in the tombs." She explained.

"But, what is the point of gathering them?" Talim asked slowly.

"They must be destroyed, gathering them will attract others to us, and with them; information." Link explained. He had figured out her plan the minute she had explained where they were going.

"There is a ship we must take across the sea. Once we arrive, I am certain we will find more information." Sophitia explained. The three headed for the stables they had left Epona and Lunay. Sophitia pulled out a tall horse with a light brown coat. It had a short thin mane and tail. Its snout was black as well as its legs from the knees down. Its hooves were also black. There was a white blotch on its forehead. The horse began to stomp its foot in discomfort.

"Be at ease Lucius." She said softly to it.

"He is beautiful! Talim said admiringly.

"He was my brother's horse before he passed away." She said calmly.

"I am sorry." Taim replied.

The three rode to the harbor and fond the ships. It didn't take long for them to find a ship that was going to Alexandria. They were transporting goods for trade. They would arrive within three days.

Only two hours later, they were off to Alexandria.

That's it!! R&R!!


	6. Into The Desert

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 6

The hot afternoon sun shown over the desert shore welcomed the three travelers. There were few shrubs and palm trees growing out of the sand.

"Land ho!" a sailor yelled. The small ship pulled into the harbor and the intense heat.

--

"Oh, I am so relieved we changed clothes before we arrived." Talim sighed. Sophitia smiled kindly. The sun shown brightly on her blue shoulder guards, the thin white cloths underneath each shoulder guard were stuck to her arms from soaking up the perspiration.

Sophitia's small shield hung from her large belt with her sword strapped to the inside. Talim was dressed in her green outfit from before. Link noticed that her clothing looked a bit tight on her, they would need to buy her new clothes soon.

Link had lost his shredded cloak. At first he was going to try to look for another one, but Sophitia insisted he not hide his identity any longer. She had explained that it would attract much more attention and people with information on Soul Edge. They retrieved their horses and followed the endless looking trail that was marked by foliage and wooden poles.

--

It seemed like hours that they had been traveling along this road and still no sign of civilization anywhere.

"I am so thirsty!" Talim sighed. Link calmly took out his canteen and held it out to Talim. Talim rode over to him and eagerly took the water.

"Try to save water, the heat will not improve." Sophitia said calmly. Talim nodded and took only five gulps of the cool water. Talim thanked Link before handing it back to him. Link silently pulled on Epona's rains and pulled her to a halt and dismounted. Sophitia and Talim did the same and looked back at Link for an explanation as to why he had stopped. Link silently reached into a pouch hanging on his belt and took out a large wooden dish. He silently poured water into it and held it out to Epona. Epona's ears flickered as she quickly brought her head up. The large red mare brought her mouth towards the dish and drank the water.

"According to the peddlers by the harbor, the journey is twelve miles, we've already traveled six on horseback." Link explained. Sophitia nodded and dismounted her horse. Talim wrapped her reins around the saddle horn before dismounting as well.

Once the horses had their fill of water, they continued with their horses in tow. Being a Hylian horse, Epona adapted to drastic changes in temperature. Sophitia's stallion looked as though it was handling itself well. Talim's horse on the other hand seemed to tire. Perspiration trickled down the sides of its neck as it snorted and cocked its head in annoyance. Talim silently rubbed her mare's neck and whispered to it softly.

--

They continued on the desert road. It seemed to be getting hotter every second they continued. The only scenery were few shrubs, palm trees and often times a line of odd animals with humped backs.

"What are those things?" Link had asked as a line of ten of the odd creatures passed by.

"They are camels. They are animals that dwell in the desert. They can go days without water because they store water within the humps." Sophitia had explained. Talim had giggled at the odd faces. It only made Link realize how fascinating this world was. It was so much different than Hyrule.

It took much longer to travel around, and the landscape was amazing. The mountains where they had met Sophitia looked much more vast than Snow Peak. The desert was hotter than Gerudo Desert, but didn't look so desolate. It actually had people who lived within its dry peninsula.

--

The heat was getting worse. The sun had moved to its afternoon position. In the distance, they could see two triangles pointing out of the distance. An hour later, they could see a third one. More trains of Camels could be seen. Finally, they had arrived in Alexandria.

--

"Fresh Fish!"

"Sugar Dates!"

"Jewelry for the ladies?"

"Fruits! I have pomegranates, grapes, even vegetables!" The peddlers continued to list their wares. Link looked around at the busy market streets as they made their way through. It reminded him of the castle town in Hyrule. There were caravans, children playing, more trains of Camels, more stands with weapons, blacksmiths in the houses behind those stands. There were restaurants and inns. But what caught his attention were people being whipped as they pushed a huge block down a trail of mud.

"Why are they doing that?" Link asked slowly.

"They are slaves. They are building those pyramids we saw and the monuments over there." Sophitia pointed out. Link frowned.

"But they are bleeding so…" Talim said after a moment. Sophitia glanced at both of them.

"I know, but for all our sakes I think we should keep out of their way. We came here to seek information not free slaves." She said calmly. The two agreed and followed her through the town.

--

"So where is the temple?" Link asked as they continued. Sophitia pointed to a half destroyed building surrounded by giant sand dunes. It looked as though it sat within a crater. Link looked up from the temple and over to a small amount of shrubs with palm trees. There was a spring of water around it! He calmly lead Epona to it and removed her reins. He calmly hung them from the saddle horn as she began to gobble the water. The three quietly removed the saddles and placed them on the ground.

"We will need someone to guard our belongings while we are in the temple." Sophitia said slowly. Link felt his body again grow heavy. He had felt this way almost through out the entire journey. The pain was coming from the pouch with the fragment of Soul Edge. He felt like it was sapping his energy, but at the same time, he could feel the master sword trying to give him some strength. What was happening? He remembered when Soul Edge attempted to take the Master Sword, a bright blue aura bounced it back. The dream he had was still on his mind. Was Soul Edge trying to take over him like it did the wizard in Hyrule? It convinced him that the master Sword was trying to protect him.

"I will stay behind." Talim said calmly. Link blinked back to reality.

"I…I do not whish to go through a temple filled with so much evil presence." She said as she stepped back slightly. Link looked over at the temple. Why didn't he notice it before?

"…_Hylian..."_

Link looked up from the temple quickly and over at them.

"What is it?" Talim asked quickly.

"Are you alright?" Sophitia asked.

"I'm fine, just thought I heard something." He said after a moment.

Talim sat on her saddle and watched the horses drink their fill of water as Link and Sophitia climbed down to the temple.

That's it!! Need reviews!! R&R!!


	7. A successful Intrusion

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! I NEED REVIEWS!!

Enjoy??

Ch. 7

The crumbling walls were tall enough to shield itself from the sun and anyone inside. The two warriors that ventured in were more than relieved. The two looked for the source of what ever was emitting the evil energy. They stopped when they suddenly heard heavy footsteps coming from a hallway to their left. The two glanced at each other before following the sounds.

Link ran his hand along the wall as he climbed over the pile of bricks and broken glass. He frequently turned to offer Sophitia a hand, which she often took when needing to climb over a broken chair or table. Once they made it over these obstacles, they found the rest of the hallway to be pitch black. Link strained his hylian eyes and could see the light at the end of the hallway. It was faint, but he could see a doorway.

Jus s Link was going to take a step foreword, they heard a panting noise and stopped where they were. Again they heard the heavy footsteps. Link caught something moving around in the dark hallway. It sounded exactly like a lizalfo. His hylian ears twitched at the sound of Sophitia drawing her sword out of its sheath that was strapped to the inside of the shield. He raised his hand in order to give her a signal to wait. Sophitia lowered her blade but held it firmly. She was also aware of the presence that lurked in the dark but unlike Link, she couldn't see any movement. Her eyes still needed to adjust to the darkness.

Link lost where the man, or creature, had gone. His question was answered when he saw the door in the distance open. Light shone in and illuminated the hallway. He could see the outline of the being. It looked like a giant lizard with the mane of an iguana. It had a short sword and small shield similar to Sophitia's. There was the blade of an ax attached to his tale. Its glowing red eyes stared at them. Link heard Sophitia gasp and grab his arm. She began to try to pull him but Link wouldn't move. He couldn't, his body became far too heavy. The fragment of Soul Edge was reacting again. Link felt a harsh stinging pain attack his heart.

"Link, what are you doing?" Sophitia demanded. Link couldn't speak, the pain held him where he stood. Just as Link took his attention away from the lizard creature, which ran through the door, he realized what Sophitia meant. He somehow found the strength to move and leaped out of the way of three arrows. The arrows sliced into the wooden table hanging on the wall behind him as he and Sophitia fell to the ground.

"Why did you not move earlier?" she asked as got to her knees. Sophitia looked over at Link and froze.

"Did one of them hit you?" she asked as she quickly reached for him. Sophitia touched his shoulder as he clutched his heart. She looked over at the pouch that had the fragment of Soul Edge and stared.

"Why did you not tell us before?" she asked as she quickly removed it from his belt. Link still felt the stinging pain in his heart. Sophitia clapped her hands around the fragment and closed her eyes. Sophitia again attempted to weaken the fragment, by doing so she may be able to stop Link's suffering. Sophitia had to be quick, that monster was within the next room. She doubted it would wait forever for them. Especially when it believes the trap had killed them.

"…_Link…bring this back to me…become my wielder…destroy those who attempted to do you harm…"_

Sophitia's eyes flew open. She stared at Link who was still clutching his heart. Was Link hearing this too? Who's voice was that? Sophitia again began to purify the fragment. After a few minutes, Link was able to breath regularly.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she placed her hand on Link's shoulder.

"…_Death…your children…mine…!"_ Sophitia stared at the fragment as it fell from her hand. Link looked down at it then back at Sophitia. Did he hear it too? Sophitia slowly reached for the fragment. Just as she placed a finger on it she felt her wounds erupt into a burning pain. She fell back and cried from the pain. Link quickly moved over to her and took out his master sword.

_"It's the fragment!"_ he thought to himself. He quickly rested the side of the now glowing blade on the glowing spots on Sophitia's body. Sophitia panted as tears rolled down her cheeks. She tried to breath regularly, but the pain was intense. Link felt his heart begin to stop giving him pain as the light blue aura from the Master Sword flowed up his arm. He could see smaller strands of aura flow into Sophitia's wounds. She felt a wave of relief flush over her as the pain began to disperse.

After they had made sure each other was alright, Link put the blade to the fragment. The two watched as the pale blue aura of the blade became blood red. Red veins and bloody bodily tissue engulfed the blade. Sophitia stared. The evil aura made her tremble. Link stared at the Master Sword. Why wasn't it protecting itself against Soul Edge? When he and Talim were staying at the inn, it immediately pushed it away. But now, it wasn't doing anything. Was the fragment that powerful?

"Your blade!" Sophitia said in shock. Link didn't answer. He didn't understand what was happening. He could feel the purity of the Master Sword disappearing. The two looked up at the sound of a painful shriek. They had forgotten about the monster they had seen earlier. Link didn't know what to do. The Master Sword was supposed to weaken the fragment, not absorb it. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure it out now. He reluctantly sheathed it and took out the sword Rusl had given him. It would have to work for now.

"Let's go." Link said as he stood. Sophitia nodded and took the hand he offered. She quickly picked up the fragment and shoved it behind her belt as they made their way to the open doorway.

--

Link stepped out first with his sword ready. He and Sophitia looked around for the creature that had attempted to trick them into their death. They heard another painful shriek coming from the balcony to their left. They quickly ran to the balcony and stopped. The creature landed on its feet with its back to them. Blood oozed down the sides of its neck. It growled angrily as it raised its weapons. Link and Sophitia quickly moved to the opposites sides of it and crouched down into a battle stance. The creature glanced from one to the other.

The marks on its neck were what Link was focused on. It wouldn't have done it itself. He glanced to see a second floor balcony above. He didn't see anyone there. He looked back down at the creature and frowned. He could now sense someone else was here. The creature suddenly turned towards Sophitia and lunged at her. Sophitia quickly rose her shield and deflected his ax. She moved out of the way and watched as it screeched from being pierced with an arrow. She again lunged at it as Link switched back to Rusl's sword.

Link blocked the ax from slicing his shoulder and moved out of the way as Sophitia slashed her sword down the creature's spine. The creature spun around and slashed its claws across the skin on her shoulder. Sophitia screamed from the pain and fell back on the ground. Link lunged at the creature with his sword and was introduced to claws across his chest. He fell back and felt his heart attacking him again. He looked over at Sophitia and growled in his throat. She held her ribs in pain and curled up into a ball. She was leaning against a half destroyed pillar. The creature walked over to her and began to reach for her belt. Link's eyes widened. He was going for the fragment of Soul Edge.

Link began to try to pull himself up but then fell back to the ground. He looked up slowly and stared as a gloved hand suddenly grabbed the creature by its neck and began to stab him over and over again with a thin blade. Link stared at the motion of this blonde man's arm. He left thousands of holes in the creature's chest. It screeched again as the man yanked out his sword and thrust it into the creature's armor. The creature flew back from the impact and landed roughly on its back. The man grinned and walked foreword.

"Attacking a defenseless woman? You sir, have no class." He said with a proper tone. He had thin blonde hair that hung to his shoulders and wore a blue jacket with a gold ornament as a breastplate. He wore blue gloves over his hand and a red scarf around his waist. He wore dark brown and red pants with comfortable looking brown and blue boots. There were gold plates that were fitted to protect his ankles. Link watched as he stepped rhythmically as he moved. He held his thin sword with his left hand as if it were the lightest thin in the world. With his right he kept it behind him as he moved in closer on his enemy. Once he stopped, Link noticed he put his right hand in a fist against his right hip.

The creature growled and got up as blood splashed down on the ground. The man grinned again.

"Very well then, let us dance." He said as he bowed. Link watched as the creature lunged at the man. He glanced over at Sophitia who was also watching.

The man moved foreword with ease and scrapped the side of his blade along the creature's scaly face. The creature roared with fury and crouched down. The man calmly took his right foot back and waited. Just as the creature began to close in the distance with its head foreword the man made sure he had his footing.

Link and Sophitia watched as the man's thin blade stabbed through the beast's forehead and out its flank. The blade even there stabbed through its joint at the tale then out the other end. The man calmly placed his right hand on the beats's shoulder and yanked his blade out. He calmly backed away as the corpse landed with a thud.

"Even beasts know when to give up…" he sighed.

Link froze when he saw a pillar about to fall on him. Link forced himself to his feet and dashed to the man. Just as the man turned towards the sound of Link getting up, the hylian pushed him out of the way of the large stone pillar.

Link felt as though something within his heart had burst. He fell to the ground and coughed. Blood fell on the ground. The man quickly pulled himself up and registered what had just happened.

"Well, there's enough excitement for one day. My thanks to-" The man stopped when he saw the state his savior was in.

"Oh, no! It's the fragment!" he heard Sophitia gasp. He looked over at her and saw the large chunk of a blade with veins hanging from it. The man quickly looked back down at his savior and grabbed his sword. At first the blade wouldn't move, but then submitted to the man's strength. He saw the veins, blood, tissue and pus on the blade. He rose quickly and took a different kind of fagment from his pocket.

Sophita watched the pale glimmer of the fragment he pulled out. It was smaller than a pebble, but stronger than their fragment of Soul Edge. What was it? She froze when he suddenly used it to carve a hole through the tissue. The hole was only inches away from the handle.

Link watched in the corner of his eye as the light of the Master Sword returned and cleansed itself. The man again began to carve a hole in the same spot as before.

"…What are you…" Link didn't even have strength to speak. The man watched as the hole vanished and calmly sheathed Link's sword.

"What have you done?" Sophitia demanded.

"Can you walk?" he called back to her. Sophitia nodded reluctantly.

"This is beyond my skill, we will have to leave immedietly." He muttered to himself as he lifted Link onto his shoulder. Sophitia slowly got to her feet and grabbed her weapons.

"Then follow me." He said to Sophitia. Sophitia followed him the way she and Link had come. She saw Link had already lost consciousness.

"Where are we going?" Sophitia asked as they made it out of the temple.

"To someone who can heal him." He replied. Sophitia watched as Talim ran over to them. Pure shock was written all over her face.

"What has happened?" Talim asked quickly. Sophita watched as the man whistled. They saw a tall black horse sped around a sand dune and over to them. He pulled a rolled up blanket from the back of the saddle and spread it around on the ground. Sophitia helped him and watched as he placed Link on the blanket. Talim stood with Sophitia, waiting to help anyway she could.

"What is wrong with him?" Sophitia asked sternly. Soul Edge has infected him. If he is not treated, he will become a servant of Soul Edge." He explained as he again took out the small glowing fragment. Talim gasped when she saw it.

"What is it?" Sophitia asked quickly.

"You know what this is, then heal him for the time being." He said as he tossed it to Talim. Talim caught it and moved over to Link. Sophitia watched as he mounted his horse and grabbed the reins.

"Light three torches, I will come back with the person who can save him." He said before riding of towards the town. Sophitia bit her lip as the man disappeared into the sunset. She looked back at Talim. Talim held the tiny fragment in one hand and her other hand on Link's heart.

"He said you knew what that fragment was, what is it?" she asked quickly.

"It is a fragment of the spirit sword. A sword that was once used by my people to save those who were doomed." She explained. Sophitia looked back in the direction the man had ridden off to. Who was this person? And how did Soul Edge "infect" Link?

That's it!! R&R!!


	8. The Man Named Raphael

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!! NEED REVIEWS!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 8

Blood was thick in the air. This wing of the market place stank with it. Blood caked the walls and floors, even the stands and the wares. The man stepped lightly among the corpses. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the familiar scraping of metal. Was a battle going on somewhere? The man listened closely. His eyes showed a sense of fear. This was no battle; it was the sound of armor smashing against the desert sand. The man instantly turned and burst through a doorway behind a pile of corpses.

Just as he began to climb the stairs, he heard the familiar horrifying howl.

"RAPHAEL!"

Raphael stopped and leaned back against the wall. He had been followed. He took a steady breath and continued to climb. He walked up to the roof and bent down behind a crate.

"COME OUT YOU PITIFUL FOOL! I WANT THAT BACK!" the voice yelled fiuriously.

Raphael's eyes scanned the streets for the one who had pursued him. It was more of a difficult task at night, but the he saw it. The horrific creature that had been casting its shadow over his trail for a long time now stood in the plaza.

The moonlight shown brightly on his azure armor as the knight continued to call out to him. There was an eye painted on the breastplate. A rope of red feathers hung from the inside oh his helmet and exited through the back of his neck. Two spiked bat wings protruded out of the sides of his helmet looking like they were his ears. His right arm was what struck fear into thousands of men. At the mere mention of his demonic right arm, people fled. There was a large spike protruding out of his shoulder. The skin was brown and hard, like a rock. There were eyes scattered around the arm. The section of his arm at his elbow looked as though it were a second hand that attached to its wrist. There was a larger eye inside the small dent of this second hand.

"Raphael studied the weapon of salvation in the knight's demonic hand. It looked like an enormous blade covered in blood veins. The veins wrapped around the handle and curves of the blade. There was a small spike above the tip that dripped with puss. The hazel green-brown eye of the sword scanned around the market place.

Raphael carefully crept over to the doorway that lead to the stairs and sat down against the wall next to the door. He silently held his side and thought what to do in the current situation. He had been wounded from the last desperate attempt to escape death. He calmed himself and thought. He had to find the cure the medicine woman had used on him. Just like Amy, that man had saved his life. It was only right to repay him for his life. Raphael's mind traveled to the small glowing shard, the shard of the spirit sword.

Every time he looked at it, he felt as though he were being cleansed of Soul Edge. He had stolen it from the knight during their last battle. When the night had him in a deathly grasp it somehow attached to his body. Raphael could remember the power he felt. Now he had mixed feelings about the swords. The power of the spirit sword calmed him, gave him confidence. Soul Edge gave him absolute power, but pain as well. But pain did not give him fear. Those idiotic nobles made Amy suffer. She had to live like a rat fighting for food. He could remember her red locks. He would die for her act of kindness. He would do the same for the man who saved him.

"RAPHAEL! IT IS YOUR NIGHTMARE!" Nightmare yelled. Raphael looked over at the plaza. Nightmare stood in his way of the medicine woman's shop. He remembered what the bottle looked like, if he could only get Nighmare away…

Raphael carefully stood. He had a plan in mind. He slowly walked over to the crates he had been hiding behind earlier and pushed them. The crates had been in a stack tall enough to reach the roof. Nightmare stopped yelling when he saw the crates making a lot of noise.

"You fool! Now I know where you are!" he laughed. His voice echoed loudly through the market. Raphael grinned this was his advantage. He ran to the edge of the roof and leaped to the next one. He ran and quickly leaped to the next roof. Raphael quickly leaped down the plaza and dashed for the medicine woman's shop.

It was no shock that she was dead. He had seen her corpse lying out in the plaza as he made his way in. He saw the box she had taken the bottle out of on the ground. Raphael slowly walked over to it and lifted it up. The bottle was in pieces. Raphael cursed himself under his breath. What was he going to do now? He hid himself within the separate room the woman used for surgery and watched as Nightmare walked into a different street. He was running out of time.

"SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!" he practically screamed.

Raphael leaned his head back and ran his gloved hand through his hair. What was he going to do? His answer came to him in a pale blue light. He looked down at a small jewelry box. He recalled the woman pulling out something from here and placing it within the bottle. He slowly opened it and took out the object. Raphael stared at it. It was just like the shard he had stolen only this one was much larger. It took about the size of his palm and somehow began to channel energy to his wound. Raphael shoved it into his pocket and carefully moved towards the exit of the shop. With this new shard, he would be able to heal the man who had saved him.

Raphael silently made his way through the streets, he hated that he had no idea where Nightmare was. Raphael slid along the side of a wall and listened. He couldn't hear metal scraping against metal. It was as if the sound had disappeared. He was almost there, his horse waited by the small amount of plants that lay outside of the town. He silently took a step out into the open. Just as he began to turn his head, he heard something cutting through the air. Raphael instantly threw himself to the ground.

Soul Edge's blade was plunged into the corner of the building next to him. Raphael quickly rolled out of the way and drew his rapier.

"So there you are." Nightmare chuckled. Raphael growled. He quickly dodged another swing from the blade and ran into the doorway near him.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere!" Nightmare said grinning behind his mouth guard. Raphael quickly got to the roof and leaped to the next one. He fell foreword at a sudden explosion coming from the building he had just leaped off of. He shielded his head from the flying debris and dust.

"DEAD YET?" Nightmare laughed. Raphael grabbed the scarf hanging at his waist and pressed it over his mouth and nose. His eyes burned from the dust as he ran to the edge of the ceiling. He leapt to the last roof of the street and stumbled foreword as the building behind him exploded next.

"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT ME!" nightmare yelled. Raphael ran to the edge and leaped down to the floor. Now free of the dust, he released his scarf and ran to his horse. He sheathed his sword and climbed onto the horse's back.

The building near them exploded. His horse whinnied with pure shock and fear. Raphael steadied him and felt his heart skip a beat as Nightmare stepped out of the dust. Raphael instantly kicked his horse and headed for the desert. He would travel around the sand dunes in order to divert Nightmare away from the rest.

"I grow tired of this game!" Nightmare growled as he began to follow after him.

"NO NIGHTMARE. LET HIM GO, MY TARGET IS NEAR. NOW IT IS TIME TO PLEASE YOUR MASTER." A voice said suddenly. Nightmare looked down at his sword. The eye was staring straight at him. He slowly lifted the blade so the eye was level with his blood red eyes.

"How near my master?" Nightmare asked slowly. The eye traveled to the vast desert.

"THEY HAVE TWO SHARDS…"

--

Sophitia watched as Taim continued to channel energy into Link's heart. Sweat trickled down the sides of Link's neck.

"This shard is powerful, but not enough." She sighed. The two looked up as the man rode back. He halted his horse and hopped own from the saddle. He grabbed the large shard from his pocket and handed it to Talim.

"Where in the world did you find this?" she asked in shock.

"Hurry up! Nightmare is here!" he said quickly. Sophitia stared.

"How close is he?" she asked quickly.

"RAPHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FOOL?"

The three froze. Nightmare had already gotten close.

"Talim, hurry." Sophitia said as she grabbed her weapons. Talim nodded and held the two shards together. The two merged and slightly increased in size.

"We will have to distract him until Link recovers." Sophitia explained.

"Send our horses over once he can stand. When he can, both of you ride to the top of the dune and give a signal. I am not even strong enough to fight him now." Raphael explained. Talim nodded and watched as they dashed towards the soars of the voice.

"RAPHAEL!" The voice was getting louder. They were getting closer.

That's it!! R&R!!


	9. A Quick Diversion

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 9

"…_Why do you resist…? I can give you the power you need…think of this opportunity Link…" _

Link clutched his heart in pain as he wandered through the darkness. Why was he a child again? Where was he? The eleven year-old wandered through the sacred groove. Once he made it through this passageway, he would come to the temple of time. He slowly walked down the steps and to the covered doorway. He peered out for anyone that could attack him.

Link froze when the blue sky above suddenly became blood red. The clouds darkened and dissolved. A tall azure knight stood behind the stone where the master sword stood. Link stared. The Azure knight's glowing blood red eyes stared at him.

"Why so afraid? I know who you are!" he chuckled. If he weren't a child, suffered from the childish fear, he would be able to snatch his Master Sword. Link looked up at the sky and saw a pale blue sword floating into the sky. A black portal was opening like a mouth behind it. He watched as a single piece detached from the blade. The minute it hit the ground a small shard scraped off of it. Shortly after they landed, the two shards melted into the Earth.

"_That is how much hope your world has…this so called 'spirit sword' can not save you…"_ the voice did not come from the knight, but from the sword. Veins raced out of the sword and grasped the Master Sword. Link felt his heart skip a beat as veins began to grow on the Master Sword. What was he going to do?

The world around Link went black. What was the spirit sword?

--

Nightmare stopped walking as Raphael and Sophitia stepped into view.

"Well, well. Finally decided to stop running? And look, you've even brought me an extra soul!" Nightmare said with an evil grin behind his mouth guard.

"Do you not recognize me?" Sophitia demanded. Nightmare gave her another look. Soul Edge studied her closely. The eye widened.

"_It's the swords woman that destroyed half of me! She is the reason why my shards are in their possession! Destroy them and take back the shards of Soul Calibur! It threatens my power!"_ Soul Edge mentally commanded.

Nightmare instantly charged at them, Soul Edge tearing up the earth as it was dragged along with him. Rachael and Sophitia glanced at each other before dodging the charge. Sophita spun around and saw Nightmare lunging at her first. She quickly pushed her shield at Soul Edge's blade. She felt her leather sandals skid on the ground as she was pushed along the ground. Sophitia instantly scraped the side of her blade against Soul Edge's veins. The eye widened with the intense pain. Nightmare's eye brightened. Just as her blade traveled to the eye, Nightmare forced Soul Edge into the ground and grabbed Sophitia by her neck with his demonic arm.

"WRETCHED CUR!" he screamed. He instantly thrust Sophitia through the air and again grabbed Soul Edge.

Raphael skidded to a stop in his charge and held out his arms. He caught Sophitia with the force Nightmare had thrown her slam against his chest. Sophitia held her neck and coughed.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly. Sophitia nodded slightly as he helped her to her feet. He looked back up from her to Nightmare. He noticed a pale glow coming from Soul Edge's eye. Sophitia suddenly held her body in pain.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"My wounds, they are burning!" she said in pain. Raphael laid her down on the sand and quickly rose. What ever Nightmare was doing, he had to stop it now. Raphael stepped towards Nightmare and readied his sword.

"To be honest, I'm irritated." Raphael said in a dangerously stern voice. Nightmare only laughed.

"Finally, some entertainment!" he laughed. Raphael grinned.

"Then allow me to entertain you!" he said smartly.

Sophitia watched Raphael dodged the first swing and thrust his rapier at Nightmare. Nightmare blocked him and pushed him back. Raphael found his footing rather quickly and got away from another swing. Sophitia could tell he was waiting for an opening. Nightmare suddenly raised his blade above his head, wanting to cut Raphael in two. There it was! Raphael instantly closed the distance between them. Just as his blade was going to hit Nightmare's under arm a field of red energy hit him back.

Sophitia stared. The energy had come from the eye in Soul Edge. Raphael wasn't going to win this battle at this rate.

Raphael fell back from the blast of energy and landed on his left shoulder. He even heard the bones crack.

"You reckless fool!" Nightmare said as he again charged. Raphael quickly reached for his rapier with his right hand. He felt a shocking pain come from his left shoulder. He couldn't move it. Raphael could feel the thuds of Nightmare's armor on the sand. Raphael instantly rolled out of the way and got to his knee. He grabbed his left arm and pushed it up. Reconnecting his arm. He felt the pain rush through his body as he slowly stood.

"Why continue this battle? You look as though you are about to collapse?" Nightmare chuckled. "Give me your soul and it will all be over!"

Raphael's eyes widened. Nightmare had stabbed Soul Edge into the ground and was now walking towards them.

"I do not require Soul Edge to defeat you!" he chuckled. Raphael glanced at Sophitia and lunged at Nightmare, but only welcomed a fist to his stomach. Just as he was going to fall foreword, Nightmare grabbed him by his neck and threw him on the ground. Blood flew out of his throat. Raphael choked as Nightmare pinned him down on the ground. He had to stall for a little bit longer. Any time soon Nightmare would realize his mistake.

"Where is that shard?" Nightmare demanded. Rafael grinned as blood rolled out of his mouth.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you should try keeping track of things." He said grinning. Nightmare glared. He instantly punched Rafael in the face, leaving a large brown bruise on his opponent's cheekbone.

"_YOU FOOL NIGHTMARE! HOW DARE YOU GET COCKY!"_ Soul Edge's voice yelled. Raphael had heard it too. Nightmare turned and froze. Raphale could see past Nightmare's arm and grinned.

Sophitia had her blade stabbed into Soul Edge's side. A tentacle from the sword was wrapped around her ribs, and on top of her wounds. Sophitia cried out in pain.

"Get away!" Nightmare yelled as he released Raphael. Raphael pulled himself up and chased after Nightmare.

Soul Edge glared at Sophitia. Sophitia again cried out in pain. The tentacle suddenly released her and whipped against her body, causing he to fall back. Nightmare snatched his sword and raised it above his head. He looked down at the unconscious woman who harmed his master. She lay on her side with the wind rippling her skirt and hair. He instantly yanked Soul Edge through the air with fury.

"SURRENDER YOUR PITIFUL SOUL!" Nightmare screamed. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, Raphael forced Soul Edge to scrape across the side of Flambert's blade.

Nightmare furiously elbowed Raphael with his right arm, hitting him with what seemed like the hand growing out of the wrist.

Raphael landed on the ground next to Sophitia.

"Now you will join her in hell!" he yelled. Raphael felt the blood rolling down his face as he dragged himself over Sophitia in a last attempt to protect her. He heard the blade coming at them as he lost consciousness.

That's it!! R&R!!


	10. The Beautiful Dancer Named Xianghua

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 10

-- (Last time)--

"Now you will join her in hell!" he yelled. Raphael felt the blood rolling down his face as he dragged himself over Sophitia in a last attempt to protect her. He heard the blade coming at them as he lost consciousness.

--

Nightmare grinned behind his mouth guard as Soul Edge drew closer to his opponents. Soon their souls would belong to his master.

"Here…we go!" a voice yelled.

Just as Nightmare began to turn his head towards the voice, a blade was thrust into his side right underneath his breastplate. Nightmare screamed from the pain and felt the blade being yanked out of his side as he forced himself to stumble away from Raphael and Sophitia. That boiled his anger.

Nightmare's blood red glowing eyes shot up as he held the gushing wound. He saw a girl holding a long thin blade pulling Raphael off of Sophitia.

"YOU WRETCHED CUR! HOW DARE YOU CUT ME!" Nightmare screamed. The girl had short brown hair and a blue headband with an orange seamed pattern. She wore a light blue silk blouse that loosely hugged her neck. A long matching blue bow was attached to the back of the blouse. She had two matching sleeves that were strapped around her upper arms. The edge of the sleeves had a purple design that matched her purple silk pants. Her sword had a blue handle with a long tail. The end of the tail had a rabbits foot that was died blue and purple. She merely picked up her sword and stepped away from them. Nightmare stabbed soul Edge into the ground and still glared. She merely grinned.

"Ok, time to say your prayers." She said as she readied her blade and crouched slightly into a battle stance.

"Your soul is mine!" he said with obvious rage in his voice. Nightmare instantly lunged at the girl while dragging Soul Edge in the ground after him, digging up the earth as he charged.

The girl quickly moved out of the way and pulled her sword back towards her shoulder.

"Spin!" she yelled. The girl instantly twirled herself around and struck the back of Nightmare's demonic arm. Nightmare grinned behind his mouth guard. He could hear her blade scraping his arm. Thanks to his master his arm could feel no pain. He instantly turned and waved his demonic arm at her. The girl suddenly grabbed two spikes that protruded out of his demonic arm after putting her blade in her mouth. Nightmare felt his rage build. She had used his arm to avoid his attack. She quickly swung herself away from him and let go of his arm as she landed behind him. She quickly took her blade out of her mouth and charged at him from behind. Her heart pounded in her chest, her adrenaline rose.

Soul Edge watched her closely. Even though she attacked non-stop, she demonstrated something no soul could hide from it. Fear. Soul Edge could tell what she was thinking. She thought she was out of her mind to try and fight Nightmare. She had no idea what she was doing. She was going to try to find an opportunity to escape, with or without Raphael and Sophitia. But it didn't change the skill and courage. Soul Edge couldn't deny how it was impressed, but why? Her mind was nothing out of the ordinary like Nightmare's. She was more immature for her age. Soul Edge studied the way she moved with her blade. There was something about her blade that caused the very blade to question its thoughts…wait…was she…? No, it couldn't be. It was merely a coincidence.

Nightmare growled. He was capable of destroying wave after wave of armies, why couldn't he defeat this one girl?

"What's the matter?" she asked cockishly.

_"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"_ Soul Edge asked. Nightmare and the girl stared at the eye on the blade as it narrowed.

"Did that sword just talk?" she gasped.

_"YES DEAR WOMAN, YOU ARE IN SEARCH OF THE MONK NAMED KILIK, CORRECT? …XIANGHUA?"_ it asked sinisterly. Xianghua stared. Nightmare silently lifted Soul Edge so it could be easier for his master to look at Xianghua.

_"YOU AND I BOTH KNOW. YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT I TRULY AM…"_

"The rumors are wrong, y-you aren't a sword of salvation!" she said quickly.

_"VERY GOOD, UNLIKE MOST WHO HAVE CROSSED OUR PATH…YOU AREN'T AS FOOLISH."_

"Kilik, Maxi and I swore we would destroy you!" she said sternly as she again crouched into a fighting stance.

_"MAXI…HIS SOUL WAS MORE THAN APPETIZING."_ Soul Edge said calmly. Xianghua's eyes widened. She didn't want to know more. She trembled where she stood.

_"POOR LITTLE GIRL…SHE'S LOST HER LOVER…"_ she could hear a chuckle come from the sword. Her eyes swelled with tears. She had seen his grave. His rod was tied to a strong wooden cross, a bouquet of wilted flowers were set on top of the mound of dirt. It was raining that day. She could feel his presence all around her. Had he been weeping for her? Or had even the heavens been weeping for someone who was as pure as Kilik?

"I swear on my life," she began with pure hatred in her voice.

"I will destroy you Soul Edge!" she screamed as she lunged at Nightmare. Nightmare calmly lifted Soul Edge and waited for her to get closer.

"Eat this!" she yelled as she spun the sword in her hand. Nightmare blocked it with ease and began to move slightly to the left. His glowing red eyes widened when he realized she was doing it again.

"Here's another!" she yelled. The blade cut the skin right next to the corner of Soul Edge's eye.

_"NIGHTMARE YOU CARELESS FOOL!"_ Soul Edge mentally yelled. Nightmare instantly grabbed Soul Edge with his demonic right arm and punched Xianghua, sending her flying.

Xianghua rolled when she hit the sand and rolled onto her stomach. She struggled to hide her tears.

"_Damn you Xianghua! You're not supposed to need rescuing!_" she thought to herself.

"So much for your revenge!" Nightmare laughed as he raised Soul Edge. Soul Edge looked down at Xianghua's sword that lay abandoned at her side. She curled into a ball as tears escaped her eyes. The thought once again crossed the sword's mind. The blade was too similar to…no she couldn't be…. Soul Edge calmly looked from the blade to Xianghua as Nightmare began to thrust it at Xianghua's thin body. Soon it would devour yet another soul, then the other two that awaited it.

Soul Edge's pupil shrunk as it looked up at an arrow that was flying right at it.

_"NIGHTMARE!"_ Soul Edge practically screamed. Nightmare instantly stopped his attack and grabbed the arrow. Soul Edge stared wide-eyed at the arrowhead that was only a centimeter away from its pupil. Nightmare pulled it away and tossed it aside. Nightmare turned his head in the direction and glared.

"Will the intrusions never end?" he growled. Soul Edge blinked, showing a sign of relief as its eye re-opened. It blinked a second time and looked at its attacker. Its eye once again widened.

"_NIGHTMARE! IT IS THE HYLIAN I SEARCH FOR!_" Soul Edge said mentally to its wielder. Nightmare studied the Hylian closely.

Link glared.

"So, you must be Nightmare." He said calmly.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Hylian we were searching for?" Nightmare asked calmly. Link calmly drew his sword and lifted his shield.

"You're going to fight me after my sword has infected your body? You simpleton fool!" Nightmare laughed. Link didn't move. Nightmare glanced over at Raphael and Sophitia as he heard footsteps. He saw Talim crouch down next to them and pull out a large shard of Soul Calibur. Nightmre and Soul Edge's eyes widened. He instantly turned towards Talim and began to walk towards her. Talim looked up and gasped.

"Your fight is with me!" Link yelled. Xianghua reached for her sword and wiped away her tears.

"And me! I have to avenge Kilik's death!" she yelled. Link looked over at her and stared.

"_This is Xianghua?_" Link thought to himself as he blushed slightly. Link instantly yanked his attention away from her. How could he allow such thoughts to penetrate his mind? He was on a mission! Link mentally cursed himself as Nightmare began to approach them.

"You whish to destroy yourselves?" Nightmare began as he rested Soul Edge on his shoulder. "Very well. I shall show you, the greatest Nightmare!"

That's it!! R&R!!


	11. The Demon Sword's Promise

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 11

The moon was shining brightly in the night sky. The desert was dead silent. Small waves of sand were carried into the air.

The three battling warriors stood their ground. Link held his Master Sword steady. He glanced over at Xianghua and saw her already crouched into a battle stance. Link frowned before looking back at Nightmare. He hated to admit it, but even he didn't have the strength to defeat this enemy. He looked over at Talim who was attempting to heal Sophitia and a man he didn't know. He could tell by how he lay over Sophitia, he was trying to protect her. For now, that was all he needed to know.

"Well, well. Who is going first?" Nightmare chuckled. Link gritted his teeth.

"I am!" Xianghua said sternly as she stepped foreword.

"No!" Link said quickly.

"Get your friends and get out of here! I have to avenge Kilik's death!" she said sternly. Link made a fist.

"I'll have to soil my hands, but he's worth it!" she explained.

"You will not be avenging his death by staining your hands! Nightmare is not the one who-"

"Talim!" Link stopped her from finishing the explanation. Talim looked over at him in surprise.

"What does that mean?" Xianghua asked sternly. Link didn't answer.

"It doesn't matter. You chose to go first, AND YOU SHALL DIE FIRST!" Nightmare yelled as he lunged at Xianghua.

Xianghua instantly stepped out of the way and dodged a swing from Soul Edge. Just as she was about to swing her blade at Nightmare, she was suddenly yanked back by her wrist. She landed hard on the sand and saw the man who was standing beside her a moment ago now locking his blade against Nightmare's.

"What are you doing?" Xianghua demanded. Link ignored her and glared at Soul Edge's eye.

"_WHY DO YOU RESIST? YOU ARE THE ONE WORTHY OF MY TALENTS…!"_ Soul Edge mentally explained to him. Link didn't listen. His body still ached, but Talim somehow made the weight easier.

"I would never accept anything you offered to me!" Link breathed before managing to shove Nightmare back.

"You wretched fools! Don't even think you can defeat me!" Nightmare hissed. The Azure knight had enough of this. Especially Xianghua, out of all of them she was somehow the only one who was able to survive against him. But why? He could sense her soul was just as regular as any of the other souls his master had devoured. His master even spoke to her. So why was she strong enough to keep up with him, but still be completely afraid of him? Nightmare growled, Raphael and Sophitia were once again conscious they once again readied their weapons. These annoyances had to stop, and now.

"_NIGHTMARE! LEAVE THEM FOR NOW! SOUL CALIBUR IS GROWING IN POWER!"_ his master mentally commanded.

"_But Master…the Hylian, he is weak enough to-"_

"_DO NOT QUESTION ME YOU FOOL! THE POWER IS GROWING, THE WOUNDS YO CARELESSLY ALLOWED TO CUT ME ARE FILLED WITH ITS ENERGY! IT IS THAT GIRL! THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT HER!"_ His master explained.

Nightmare took a step back and rested Soul Edge on his shoulder. Link watched in pure confusion.

_"KNOW THIS, IT IS YOUR VICTORY FOR NOW, BUT WHEN YOU ALL ACTUALLY POSE A CHALENGE I WIL DEVOUR ALL OF YOUR SOULS!"_ Soul Edge's voice said sternly. Xianghua, Link and Talim shielded their eyes from the sand that suddenly began to fly into the air. Once the sand stopped, they dared to look despite the fear of seeing the blade coming right at them. Nightmare was gone.

"Where has he gone?" Talim gasped.

"We were almost killed, we better leave now." The man said sternly.

"But to where? Barely any of us are going to be able to travel for long." Sophitia explained.

"I know a place, but I won't tell you unless you tell me what you know about Kilik." Xianghua said sternly.

"No." Link said before blowing through the whistle Ilia made him. They listened to the tune and watched as Epona came galloping towards them the other horses had been tied to her by their halters. Talim jogged over to them and released the rope that held them together. Epona walked past her and over to Link, lowering her snout close to his shoulder. Link silently ran his palm over her snout.

"Why won't you tell me?" she demanded.

"You don't need to know." Link said calmly. Xianghua glared.

"Why not?" she asked sternly. Link sighed. He silently took the necklace Kilik was going to give Xianghua out of his pocket. He silently tossed it to her before mounting Epona. Xianghua caught it and stared at the intricate design.

"So, you're coming with us then?" he asked Raphael. Now that he had seen how much pain Soul Edge could give him, he would have to get help for this mission. Link looked over at Xianghua at the sound of her whistling. They saw a large brown mare with a long white stripe running down the center of its small head. Its tail was neatly braided and its main was cut short.

"What are you doing?" Link asked slowly.

"I'm not going to stop following you until you tell me what I want to know." She said sternly.

"You can't be serious." Link said annoyed. Xianghua only gave a small grin. Link sighed exasperatedly.

The four rode to the harbor as the sun slowly began to lift above the horizon.

That's it!! R&R!!


	12. A Discussion Between Brothers

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 12

People walked through the market, moving from one stand to another with their wares in straw baskets and heavy looking sacks. People shouted their wares from their stands. Link looked around at the harbor. This was the exact same one they had traveled to Alexandria from. Going to Alexandria was a complete waste of time.

Not only that, they were all weak from battling Nightmare and Soul Edge. Somehow he had managed to end up in a group. If Soul Edge were after him, he would only endanger them. Did any of them realize this? Did they even know? Link felt as though an arrow had shot through his chest. He could feel the pain Soul Edge left behind in his body. But what were its motives? Why give him power? Did it really think he would serve him like Nightmare did? Link pushed the thoughts from his mind and felt the pain finally stop.

"Perhaps that ship over there could bear us." Talim said calmly.

"And to where exactly?" Sophitia asked as she dismounted. Link sighed exasperatedly. He knew Xianghua was grinning. They needed to get away from here before Nightmare tried to go after them again, or anyone else. Unfortunately, she knew a safe place. She had been bragging about it the entire way, just egging him on. She reminded him of Talo. Except, she seemed much more obnoxious. Sophitia didn't seem to mind that much. When he asked she said that Xianghua reminded her of her sister in some ways. Talim was fond of her. She seemed to like talking to her. The two giggled and spoke to each other about things he had no interest in. He could tell Raphael didn't either. In fact, he hadn't spoken to Raphael about the matter.

Link watched as Talim and Sophitia walked over to the captain of the ship. He silently dismounted and began to walk over to them.

"Oh no you don't!" Xianghua said suddenly as she grabbed his wrist. Link turned with an annoyed look.

"I'm not going to tell where this place is until you tell me what happened to Kilik." She said sternly. Link rolled his eyes.

"I've already had to say it seven times this morning, and I will say it an eighth time, you don't need to know." He said as he freed his wrist. Xianghua again grabbed his wrist.

"Why won't you tell me?" she asked annoyed.

"Perhaps we should discuss this later." Raphael said calmly as he walked passed them. Xianghua frowned and released Link's wrist. Link looked away slowly. He silently reached for Epona's halter. He watched in the corner of his eye at Xianghua, especially her eyes. He could tell she wasn't going to give up. Getting rid of her wasn't going to be easy…but still…no. Link looked away quickly. He was on a mission, he wouldn't dare think about such things.

--

The waves lapped against the large ship. The breeze was gentle against the sails. Link walked out to the deck and walked to the head of the ship. He looked up and saw Raphael sitting with Sophitia. The two were laughing and talking. Link frowned. He could hear them flirting. His Hylian ears usually gave him the advantage in this world. He leaned against the mast and sighed. He could see his breath drift into the cold air. He silently closed his eyes and listened to the sailors and passengers move along the top deck. He heard Talim and Xianghua chatting from the other side. They continually gossiped about the old dirty sailors. As they had placed their things into the cabin, he told Talim not to say a thing about Kilik. She didn't understand, but promised she wouldn't.

He silently opened his eyes and watched as Sophitia began to walk past him.

"Get some rest, it was not a simple task to heal you." She said kindly.

"Not right now." He replied. Sophitia nodded and walked towards Talim and Xianghua as Link walked over to Raphael.

"Can I help you?" Raphael asked not even looking at him. Link walked over to the railing next to him and touched the cold wet wooden surface.

"I need to tell you something." Link said slowly. Raphael leaned foreword on the railing with his elbows resting on the railing.

"So you plan to leave them behind?" he asked calmly.

"It is selfish, but I must do it alone." Link replied as he stared at the water below.

"I doubt there is a possible way to do such a task alone, but I can sympathize." He replied. Link looked over at him.

"There is a girl named Amy that I left behind in my home." He began.

"A lover?"

"More like a savior." He replied, "She helped me escape after I attacked a noble's manor." He replied.

"Why did you even attack anyone in the first place?" Link asked slowly.

"I had done some research on Soul Edge. One of the nobles that lived near me hunted me down for it."

"And you killed him will defending yourself?" Link guessed. Raphael nodded.

"I found her in a poor part of the town. I was amazed she was ever able to find food. That was when I realized; the world had been cruel to her. Those fools who drown themselves in riches and never suffer the poor. They delude themselves at the cost of people's lives."

"And you're going to use Soul Edge to stop that?" Link asked slowly.

"Before I realized what its true power was. I would never use such a godforsaken thing. Amy would only get hurt." He explained.

"What if she didn't want you to have it in the first place?" Link asked after a moment.

"If she did not want it, I would toss it away in a heart beat." He said with a determined tone of voice. Link looked away as he found himself grinning slightly. Raphael…he was different. He even reminded him of himself.

"Have you ever been infected by Soul edge?" Link asked as the waves got louder. He watched in the corner of his eye as Raphael moved his left hand to his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I think Xianghua is the only one who isn't affected." Link said calmly.

"Talim isn't infected either. It's only her hands that are burned." Raphael replied. Link glanced at Talim. Smiling at the sight of the three girls laughing.

"On that note, what did happen to the man named Kilik?" Raphael asked. Link frowned.

--

"I see..." Raphael said slowly.

"There wasn't anything I could do, other than burry him." Link replied.

"I can see why you didn't tell her." Raphael said calmly.

"I was thinking about telling her at least who was responsible but..."

"But you killed them already." Link nodded. Raphael sighed exasperatedly.

"She's willing to dirty her hands but has no one to do it on," he began, "Link. Do not tell her anything yet." Link looked at him in surprise.

"the truth is, that we're going to need her in order to get around." he explained. Link frowned.

"So we're using her?" honestly, he hated the idea.

"She's able to keep up with Nightmare and is not infected. As repentance we'll tell her later." he said as calmly. Link nodded despite not liking that they were taking advantage of her.

"I wanted to ask you," Raphael said suddenly. Link looked over at him. "You've ventured on your own throughout your world, have a gift of a goddess, and are related to a princess. You said you had friends that were aware of your journey, then why are you so stubborn about working within a group?" he asked. Link frowned.

"Are you that afraid of saying goodbye to people? You've done it before." He said calmly. Link felt pain in the pit of his stomach. His thoughts rolled to Malon. He could remember seeing her walking away from him after he had told her the truth. That day he would die, and reincarnate into a different time in Hyrule. She didn't look back at him once, only left Epona to his care.

"I didn't have the option. Besides, the sages can only keep the portal open for so long." He explained.

"How long can it stay open?"

"In this world's time, less than two years." He said calmly. Raphael grinned and shook his head.

"So we hasten then?" he asked grinning. Link smiled slightly.

"We're more like each other than you think." He said calmly. Link looked over at him again. Raphael stood and held out his hand. Link smiled kindly and took his hand.

"Like the brother I never had." He said with a grin. Link looked back to the ocean and scanned the water's surface.

"So, where exactly is she leading us to?" Link asked.

"To the English borders." Talim said as she came over to them.

"English borders?" Raphael repeated. Talim nodded.

"Why? What is there?" Link asked.

"According to Xianghua, an alchemist with information on Soul Edge. Very detailed at that."

"An alchemist?" Raphael repeated.

"Yes, but there's one problem." Xianghua said from behind them. The three turned and looked over at her as she approached them.

"She's throwing a gala in two weeks." She replied.

"And?" Link asked.

"Families of noble houses are the only ones able to attend." She explained.

"Then why do we not just meet her earlier?" Talim asked.

"She'll arrive the day of the Gala and leave that same night. She's already started searching for Soul Edge."

"So what do we do?" Link asked.

"Leave that to me." Raphael said suddenly. The three looked over at him.

That's it!! R&R!!


	13. A Set Strategy

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 13

Talim sat on the windowsill and looked down at the streets. She smiled as she watched two children run through the streets running from their pet dog, giggling and screaming with laughter as the dog barked happily chasing them.

"DROP DEAD!" she heard Xianghua yell. She watched as two grey birds that had landed on the roof below the window took off with a panicked flap of their wind. This would be the second time today they would fight, Talim sighed exasperatedly.

"YOU FIRST!" Link responded in the same tone of voice. She silently turned away from the market street and into the room they had rented for the night.

"They are arguing again?" she asked. Sophitia shook her head as she sat down on at the small wooden table. Ever since they had disembarked the ship, they had started fighting. Only recently had it died down but unfortunately, they began once again.

"I bet you're just trying to get rid of me!"

"What? Did you finally realize the hint?"

"I loath you!"

"I loath you!"

"I loathed you first!"

"Oh, what an accomplishment!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Raphael yelled as he came into the room. Link and Xianghua instantly turned away from each other and folded their arms.

"Where did you go to Raphael?" Talim asked as she looked at the large box his arm was looped around. For now Xianghua and Link had snapped out of it, their attention now on the large package.

Sophitia moved her arm off of the table to make room for the long thick package.

"What is this?" Sophitia asked as Raphael began to remove the thin rope that held the lid on the box.

"Is it for your plan?" Link asked. Raphael nodded.

"What good will it do? We can't even get in." Xianghua asked.

"You can't, but I can." He said calmly.

"You are a noble?" Talim asked.

"You cannot go in alone," Link began, "I am certain we are not the only ones who have heard about that rumor."

"Who said I was going alone?" he said looking over at Sophitia. Sophitia blinked in response.

"But Sophitia isn't a noble." Link said slowly.

"I've thought about that." He said calmly. They all watched as he opened the box and revealed a white gown folded into the box with a pair of white shoes sitting on top of the beige bodice.

"But why Sophitia?" Link asked slowly.

"Talim is far too young, and Xianghua isn't exactly lady-like." He said calmly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xianghua demanded as Link chuckled in agreement.

"I am still confused, what is your plan Raphael?" Talim asked slowly.

"The gala is merely two weeks away. Since Sophitia is the closest to being sophisticated, it will take les time to teach her the ways of etiquette. Once she is ready, she will pose as a noble and we will both attend. Once we are there, we will find the alchemist woman and see if we can get her to tell us anything." He said calmly.

"But, this gown is so…thin…" Sophitia said slowly as she silently lifted the gown out of the box. Talim lifted one of the shoes and frowned.

"And what are we going to do while you guys are crashing the party?" Xianghua asked grinning.

"You three will sneak into the mansion and try to find out any information lying within the home." He explained.

"WHAT? I have to spend one night with that?" Xianghua demanded pointing at Link. Link rolled his eyes.

"Just don't get Talim killed." Raphael sighed. Xianghua and Link instantly turned away from each other. Xianghua watched in the corner of her eye as the one being that caused her rage to boil. He had walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book. "_Pretending to be busy? Yea…great strategy…_" Xianghua thought to herself.

"Annoying little twerp…" she muttered under her breath. Link sighed as she made her across the room.

"I heard that." He said calmly as she reached the doorway. Talim watched as she held the doorframe in a fist. Xianghua quickly exhaled and turned towards Link. Link looked over at her. She stiffened, her expression resembled that of an old school teacher that had lost patience with a student but kept a calm aura about herself.

"Oh, what an accomplishment." He said smartly before walking out of the room. Link growled and roughly shoved the book back into its place on the bookshelf.

"You look beautiful!" he heard Talim say happily. He turned to look over at them and saw Sophitia had just finished removing her sandals. She was dressed in the pearl white gown with a beige corset. She held onto the chair as Raphael tied the grey laces. Sophitia shifted uncomfortably.

"Must it be so uncomfortable?" she asked as Raphael finished.

"I'm afraid you will have to adjust to it for now. Sophitia felt as though her breathing had been tightened along with her ribs. She breathed deeply, testing how tight the corset was against her breasts. She felt as though she were suffocating.

"She does look very uncomfortable…" Talim said frowning. Raphael ignored her and handed Sophitia the shoes. Sophitia reluctantly took them and sat down on the bed behind her and slipped her feet into the expectantly uncomfortable slippers.

Link watched as she removed the ribbon that held her braid. Her hair fell quickly out of the braid and over her shoulders. She reminded him of Zelda, the only thing that was different was that she complained about the garment. He could understand though, the young mother had switched from comfortable battle clothes to a stiff noble's gown. But from what he had seen on the ship, he could sense they were starting to develop feelings for each other. Was Sophitia ok with that?

"Go and see if you can get any information on the mansion; servants entries, rooms, anything." Raphael said calmly. Link nodded and walked out of the room with Talim.

That's it!! AAAAAWWWWW I already started two couples!! Be ready for fluff!! R&R!!


	14. Rivalries Joined By Developing Feelings

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait, school sucks right now!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 14

Link silently watched as a group of servants walked by. He took the opportunity to slip behind the hedges as a guard walked by. From his experience of sneaking into Hyrule castle in order to see Zelda, this would be much easier. The people of this world weren't able to hear and see as well as he could. Even though this was true, Link didn't take this for granted. He had faced many battled with the people of this ground, they were much more stubborn then Hylians.

Link carefully made his way to the courtyard and stayed in the cover of the hedges. He peered around the corner of the hedge and watched as another group of servants walked into an entranceway as the door closed behind them. He studied the doorway carefully. It was covered with vines in order to make it look like it was part of the wall. His ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. He quickly looked over his shoulder and studied the scenery around him. He didn't see anyone. He slowly looked back over at the mansion and froze. Xianghua was crouched behind the huge fountain.

"What are you doing?" he called to her as quietly as possible. She looked over at him and merely grinned.

"Why so far away? I already found two ways in!" she called back. Link growled.

"Two's enough!"

"Then why are you still here?" Link rolled his eyes and snuck back along the hedges. Once he made it back to the hedges unnoticed he looked around for Xianghua.

"Don't tell me you wanted to be the one to find the entrances?" she asked sarcastically as she came out of an ally way.

"Clever, you found them. So how do we get to them?" he asked smartly. Xianghua looked away still grinning and folded her arms.

"Easy, there's a servant's entrance in the orchid that gets to the back of the house; which is hidden by hedges. If that doesn't work, we can just use the entrance from the side barn." She replied smartly. Link shot her an annoyed look.

"You're not the only one who's good at this." She said as she waved a strand of hair out of her face.

"Good, then I'm not doing all of the work." He said as he began to walk away. Xianghua turned towards him and growled with her hands clenched in fists.

"I wouldn't here," he said suddenly. Xianghua blinked as he turned towards her and pointed his thumb towards the street.

"We're in public." He said with a smirk. Xianghua instantly folded her arms and looked away from him.

"Oh, that wasn't on my mind. I can assure you of that." She said calmly as she walked past him.

"Are you two arguing again?" Talim asked as she approached them. They were in the town square, both silent with their backs turned towards each other. Talim studied the two of them. She watched Link pull a white feather from his shoulder. She next looked over at Xianghua who was sitting on the edge of the fountain soaking wet. The floor was covered with a mixture of water and soaked feathers.

"What hap-"

"DON'T ask…" Xianghua interrupted. Talim thought it best to take her advise. She studied the scene again and again, then merely sighed.

--

"Once more." Raphael said calmly. Sophitia nodded and silently took his hand. Raphael gently spun her, studying her movements. The entire time he had been teaching her to waltz. He brought her into his arms and gently dipped her. He brought her back up again and grinned slightly as she held his hand tighter. Every time they made contact, she had slowly pulled herself in closer to him.

"1…2…3…" Raphael counted as she chassed past him then reached back for his hand. He gently took her smooth hand and moved closer to her as she did the same. He laced his hand on her hip as she held his shoulder and closed the space between them.

Sophitia brought herself closer to him as the turned slowly. She felt secure in his arms. She felt an odd warmth with him. But at the same time, fear. She had caught herself twice forgetting about Rothion. Strange plots in her head formed. Why? Sophitia pushed it from her mind as she focused on the dance. It was in vein, her thoughts would not seas to bother her. She hadn't noticed that they had stopped.

"Sophitia," Raphael said softly. Sophita looked away quickly as she felt tears swell in her eyes. "You are thinking too much again…" he said softly. Sophitia blinked, a hint of fear in her eyes. Sophitia felt the warmth disappear in an instant, her eyes again swelled with tears. She blinked again and closed her eyes at the feeling of Raphael's hand running down her spine. She hid her sense of fear and discomfort. Her husband's name was screamed in her mind. She licked her lips and felt his hand on her hip. She held the side of his neck and kept her forehead against his cheek. A tear dripped from one of her eyes and landed on her neck. Sophitia mentally cursed herself. Raphael gently caught the tear now rolling down her cheek. He silently rubbed his wet thumb over her bottom lip. Sophitia pressed her lips as he pulled away gently.

"That…that is enough for today." He said slowly. She knew he wasn't thinking straight. She was afraid, what impure thoughts had crossed his mind?

"I will allow you to dress, the laces are untied." Were the last words he said before closing the door behind him. Sophitia tasted the salt of her tear. "_This was mere illusion…when this is over, he will have no use for me…I am no more than a whore…_" she thought to herself as tears rolled down her cheeks. Sophitia silently pulled the sleeves from the corset and pulled the corset from her sides. She gasped for air as though she had been under water for a long time. Sophitia removed it and placed it in the box. She next removed the gown and reached for her regular clothes. He tears had gone with the gown.

Once she was dressed, she sat at the table again and touched her lip. Her attention was quickly drawn away at the difference in her hairstyle. It was no longer braided in the fashion to her liking, it hung plainly at her shoulders. She gathered up her Greek hair and bit down on her lip. "_Bringing me into this world of nobles…I will become nothing but a whore, is Soul Edge worth that much…?_"

That's it!! R&R!!


	15. The Alchemist's Gala

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Finally back from vacation!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 15

It was finally the night of the Gala. Link watched as Sophitia and Raphael entered through the front from the garden. The other two waited for a sign that it was safe to begin. The doors closed shortly after the last couple of Nobles entered. Once they did, Link looked over at Xianghua and Talim and nodded quietly. The two nodded in response and the three made their way through the courtyard.

"The moment we get inside, we will have to separate." Link whispered.

"Oh good, I was worried." Xianghua sneered. Link rolled his eyes as they found one of the servant entrances. The door had been left open for the servants that were loading things in and out.

"There's no way we can get in unnoticed, the kitchens are crowded!" Xianghua whispered. Link studied the ivy sprawling over the walls. "Oh well, I know where there's another entrance. Come on Talim!" Xianghua said quickly as she grabbed Talim's wrist and pulled her around one of the hedges. They had disappeared fast enough for Link not to follow. Link again rolled his eyes and studied the servants walking around with loads of objects for the gala. The ivy and other vines growing on the walls looked old and strong. Link quietly reached for his two claw shots and moved behind a statue. He waited for the crowded courtyard to empty a little. Once it did he ran to the huge mansion and pointed the claw shot at the wall. The device grabbed on tightly to the vines and speedily pulled him up to the wall. Link put the second claw shot away and used the one that was hooked to the vines to hook onto a bar a basket of flowers hung from it with candles on both sides.

Link landed lightly on the marble balcony and quickly hid behind a pillar. He watched as a servant holding a platter filled with glasses filled with golden bubbling liquid passed him and walked into a dimly lit room. He closed the thin wooden door, with the lace curtains hanging behind the glass, behind him. Link walked passed the door and walked to where the balcony spread out to a square area that overlooked the gardens.

He quickly located another door and silently walked in. He quickly closed the door and made his way down the hallway. The hallway split into three other narrow hallways, the chances of being spotted were definitely higher then chancing the door at the end of this one. Link placed his hand on the golden doorknob and opened it quickly. He closed the door behind him and grinned at the room he was now standing in.

Talim snuck along the golden colored wall as she made her way through the mansion. She heard servants chatting as they walked down a different hallway. She found her way to a large doorway and made her way through. She quietly closed the door behind her and looked around the room. There was a large desk in the room. One small oil lantern was lighting the room. She looked around at the marble busts as she walked over to the desk. Talim looked up at a portrait of a tall slender young woman wearing a dark green gown with a red corset. She held a rose in her hand and looked very serious. She had short white hair and her lips were painted a dark purple color. Talim looked down at the desk and noticed a book resting on its spine and opened to the center page. Talim looked at the words and frowned. She couldn't read the language it was written in. She turned the page and stared. There was a sketch in it that looked like Soul Edge.

"Perhaps Raphael may be able to read this." She suggested. Talim closed the book and placed it in the small leather messenger bag. She was careful to exit the room and walked to another pair of doors. She could hear the music of the dancing and the gala as she entered the large room. There was an overly stuffed sofa next to two chairs sitting on a rug. She made her way to the secret entrance the servants used and looked for the handle that would open the door. With the information she had, she thought it would be best to stay here. Xianghua had told her to wait in this room, from there she would be able to keep an eye for the signal Sophitia and Raphael would give. The only way out of this servant's room was the passage and she was sure the servants would be working until late. Talim held her bag tightly as she sat next to the door and peered through the lace curtains and watched the nobles waltz on the bottom floor.

Xianghua crouched behind a corner and watched as a couple moved to a different hallway and began to kiss each other over and over. Xianghua frowned. She missed the feel of Kilik's lips against hers. She shook it from her head and somehow managed to get passed them unnoticed. She opened the door to the room and entered. Inside was a large bedroom with a portrait of the alchemist woman. She wore a soft blue dress and had a powder sponge and a feather in her hand.

"Waste of money." She muttered as she walked over to a side table. She opened the drawer and searched its contents. "Damn! The book isn't here! Hopefully Talim found it…or Link…" she dreaded the last two words. She looked at the clock in the room and moaned. It was almost time for the signal; she would have to go to the room where she would meet Talim. It didn't bother her so much that she didn't tell Link where they were meeting. He seemed like someone who could take care of himself, so she didn't worry.

-- (While all three had gotten into the mansion)

"Now when we are inside, we must never allow the dons to leave without either of us." He said as they followed the line. Sophitia nodded obediently. She was dressed in a long silk turquoise gown with black lace in the shape of roses and black laces tying the corset. It was barely noticeable that the gown was a long corset and a long skirt. She knew he had chosen it for her to be able to move around in comfort. The laces at the bottom of the corset were slightly loosened for her to be able to move around easier. The dark color hid her muscular arms perfectly. Her hair was let down, but was French braided at the sides. The braids were then tied and formed three smaller braids.

Sophitia began the act as she gently fanned herself with a matching fan. Her blue eyes fell upon who she assumed was the hostess. She wore a rose red gown with a tight black bodice. In her hand was a long thin purple cylinder with a red jewel shaped like a rose.

"Señora Isabella." Raphael said kindly as she handed the man standing next to the woman their invitation.

"By your accent, you are from Spain." She said calmly.

"La Familia de Sorel." He said in Spanish.

"Si, conozco a tu primo." She replied in Spanish.

"And who is this charming young woman?" she asked kindly.

"My fiancé, Sophitia de la casa de Alejandra." He introduced. Sophitia curtsied.

"Casa de Alejandra? I have never heard of it."

"Of nobility in Greece." Sophitia recited.

"Ah, then that explains why." She said kindly.

"May I present my mistress," the man next to her began, "Señora Isabella del familia de Valentine." He introduced.

"Enjoy yourselves, as I recall there is another noble from Greece here." She said calmly. Sophitia wasn't too bothered by that, there were a lot of people and she didn't know any nobles.

Raphael led her away from the entrance and to a staircase.

"We will stay at the ground floor in order to give them the signal." He said quietly. Sophitia nodded. She looked up at the odd sight of someone else with extremely blonde hair. It was as though she had passed a ghost. She glanced back in the direction but didn't see the hair she mistaken to be a Greek blonde color. It was probably the noble Isabella had mentioned. Sophitia pushed it from her mind and followed Raphael to a table. He pulled out the chair politely and she sat down. He scooted the chair close to the table and sat across from her.

"You did well." He said calmly. Sophitia smiled kindly.

"I haven't made a fool of myself yet." She admitted. Throughout the last days of him teaching her, they had grown closer to each other. At first she held back, he assumed from inner feelings, then suddenly one day began to enjoy being with him.

"We will give the signal soon, when we go to the table; focus less on the politics and more on information about Souledge." He explained.

"And if one of the dons ask to dance?" she asked.

"Deny the request using the words I told you." He said calmly. Sophitia nodded slowly.

The two looked up from each other and saw the man that had been standing with the alchemist woman.

"Don Raphael, and Señorita Sophitia, My mistress has summoned both of you to her table." He said calmly. Sophitia gave Raphael a clever glance before standing and grabbing her fan. They followed after the man in silence, only answering to his comments on the gala or any other small talk.

"Ah, everyone this is Don Raphael del familia de Sorel. And his fiancé Sophitia de la casa de Alejandra." Isabella introduced them as they seated across from each other.

The conversation went smoothly, mainly politics but then Isabella brought up what they had come for.

"And so there is a creature in armor moving across the lands with the legendary Souledge." She said calmly. The other nobles agreed, some stating something about how terrifying it was, or how menacing.

"What are your thoughts of the subject, Sophitia?" Isabella asked calmly.

"Such a creature is fatal to villages as most have seen. It appears the creature has gone undefeated, and merely running seems to be useless." Sophitia chose her words carefully, but it unfortunately put her in a bad situation.

"Have you been pursued by this creature?" Isabella asked slowly. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Raphael bit his lip.

"The trade and transportation has lead war and rampage, but I have never met this beast."

Raphael sighed slightly Sophitia was amazing.

"And your thoughts Don Raphael?" Isabella asked.

"Well, Isabella," he began.

"You may call me Ivy." She replied.

"Ivy, I think that charging blindly at this creature is somewhat dangerous but it should be taken care of if we whish to survive." He explained. Raphael felt annoyed at the fact that Ivy's attention was on Sophitia.

Ivy studied Sophitia's gown. Something was off. Normally a noble woman's gown would describe their personality. It could be understandable if the nobility was different here, but the sleeves were tight on her arms. What she truly noticed was the laces on the corset were loosened at her stomach. Ivy grinned slightly. Now she knew, Sophitia was not a noble. Were they only here for information?

"To think such a creature exists." One of the wives of the Don's sitting at the table said calmly.

"Perhaps you two have yet to dance." Ivy said calmly. Raphael frowned slightly. He glanced at a mechanical clock hanging on the wall, they had to give the signal in a few minutes and they hadn't learned anything. But if they didn't Ivy would suspect them.

"Shall we?" he asked kindly to Sophitia. Sophitia silently rose and walked over to him.

"Excuse us." Raphael said kindly. The two walked to the staircase and walked to the ground floor where everyone danced.

"We will alert them after one waltz." He whispered. Sophitia nodded. She was actually looking foreword to dancing with him.

A young woman with Greek blonde hair watched the people dance. She was dressed in a silk toga with a laurel of emerald leaves in her hair. Her blue-green eyes fell upon a couple, or rather, the woman of the couple. She had a similar color of blonde hair and was dressed in a turquoise gown. Her eyes widened when she saw the woman's face.

"No way! That's Sophitia!" the young woman gasped.

"It is time." He said quietly.

"Which Dance?"

"Spanish tango. Maestro." He said calmly. Sophitia watched as he tossed the musician a coin. He walked back over to her as she took a deep breath.

(Sorry, first time narrating a dance! If I do that bad, go on Youtube and watched the dance scene from The legend of Zorro the mask of Zorro! That's the dance here!)

The two stood next to each other, Sophitia placed her hand on Raphael's. They stood at an arm's length distance from each other and held out their opposite arm slightly. The trumpets sounded immediately and Sophitia spun into Raphael. Raphael threw his arm around her waste and dipped her. He lifted Sophitia and she spun a second time. Raphael again dipped her the opposite way and released her waste as Sophitia came back up. She kept her left hand on her waste and had her right on Raphael's wrist. Raphael had his right hand on Sophitia's left hand and his left wrist in her grasp. They moved close to each other and began to turn slowly.

After a third turn He wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her to a different section of the dance floor. Sophitia removed her left arm and let it drift behind them. Her Right had moved to around the back of his neck. Raphael switched his right arm that was around her waist to his left and outstretched his right. After she finished spinning, Sophitia switched arms as well. Then they spun again and held each other's hands. Once they let go, Sophitia gracefully stepped past Raphael who was stepping foreword and joined the opposite hands. They let go of their hands as Sophitia twirled past him again and reached for Raphael's hand. Raphael held his hand above her and spun her gently. Sophitia grabbed a section of her gown as she spun. Guitars and other instruments suddenly joined the trumpets as they moved closer to each other. Raphael lowered his head slightly as Sophitia brought herself close to him and placed her hand on the side of his neck.

Raphael again rose his head, their lips almost touched. Sophitia began to lean back as Raphael moved his face close to her breasts as she dipped on her own. Sophitia moved back with a graceful move meant and brought her arms up. Raphael stepped foreword. Sophitia took another step back and bent down as her arms went down. Raphael took a step foreword and brought his arms up, then down as she put one on the side of her head and her right fist on her waist.

The blonde girl was furious with seeing this man "defile Sophitia" as she called it.

"What is she doing? She's married isn't she?" the girl asked annoyed. She instantly began to head for the staircase with the blind furry.

The two quickly joined hands and turned slightly. They stopped every time Sophitia threw her head back then straitened. This happed once or twice before Sophitia spun away from him and brought her arms in front of her. Just as she finished the spin she brought her elbows back as she stepped back. She felt Raphael step up behind her and smiled when she saw his bright smiling face.

Talim watched Sophitia and Raphael dance. She noticed Sophitia's eyes had somehow changed. They looked wild, but happy. Had she fallen in love with Raphael? She looked up at the door and saw Xianghua come in.

"Did they give the signal?" she asked. Talim nodded.

"Yes, they have already begun the dance." She explained.

"Let's get out of here!" Xianghua said quickly. Talim nodded.

Link watched from the ledge of the library as Sophitia and Raphael danced. He had what he came for, now it was time to leave. He picked up the book and ran out of the room.

Once again, Raphael and Sophitia held each other's hands tightly as Sophitia threw her head back then came back up. Some of her hair was somewhat a mess from the quick dancing but they both ignored it as they continued the dance that was being used as a signal for the others to leave. Sophitia brought her arms in front of her as she spun away from Raphael and again brought her elbows back. Raphael again was there behind her. He put an arm around her waste and leaned to the left as Sophitia leaned to the right. She spun again as Raphael switched from his right arm that was around her waste to his left. He leaned to the left as Sophitia leaned to the right.

She then spun and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and leaned to the right as he leaned to the right. She spun again wrapped the opposite arm around the back of his neck. She leaned to the right this time as he leaned to the left. The music quickened as Raphael spun Sophitia then held both of her hands as she moved down to the floor. Raphael slid his left foot foreword as Sophitia put her right foot against his for support. Then he pulled her back up quickly and held her left leg as it came up to his waste. Sophitia wrapped her arms around his neck and put her forehead to hers. The two were completely out of breath as they finished the dance with Raphael dipping her very low to the ground. Sophitia leaned her head back as Raphael's face came close to her breasts a second time. The music stopped abruptly as they both came up.

The two stayed in with their arms around each other for a moment, both were catching their breath smiled to each other. They were interrupted by a sudden, "Sophitia what are you doing?"

The two pulled away quickly. Sophitia looked over at the girl wearing a silk toga. Her eyes widened.

"Cassandra?" she said in shock. Raphael looked up at the second floor and froze. Who ever Cassandra was, it was bad that they met her here. Ivy was coming towards them.

That's it!! R&R!!


	16. Many Encounters

Wuz up

Wuz up?? Here's the long awaited update!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 16

"Sophitia! What are you doing here?" Cassandra demanded.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Sophitia said sternly.

"He's been defiling you!" she said with a blind fury.

"How dare you! Go home!" she said sternly. Rapheal glanced through the crowd. Ivy was still coming.

"Oh yeah? Well I came here to find you so why—"

"We need to leave!" he interrupted. Raphael instantly grabbed Sophitia's hand and moved through the crowd.

"Bad idea, she's extremely stubborn!" Sophitia said as they hurried for the entrance to the mansion.

"We had no option, Ivy had seen us." He said as they slowed to a walking pace.

"Did she hear us?" Sophitia asked quickly.

"Unfortunately." He replied.

"Goodnight." A servant said to them as he opened the door for them.

"I hope Link, Xianghua and Talim are alright." Sophitia said quietly. They walked out of the gates of the mansion and out of any of the servant's sights.

"We'll go back to the inn for now." Raphael said as they continued walking. Sophitia quietly followed. It wasn't a long walk to the inn. She only hoped that they would run into one of the three on the way.

--

"Link! You escaped unharmed!" Talim said happily.

"Why don't you just go back in there and not come out?" Xianghua moaned. Link turned, ready with the perfect reply. Xianghua folded her arms and waited.

"Well?" she asked calmly. The two gasped when a Link suddenly fell to his knees.

"Link! Are you alright?" Talim asked quickly. Xianghua looked up and froze when she saw a glowing red spot floating on the path before them. The clouds above floated out of the way of the moon and revealed a huge green monster standing before them. Xianghua stared. There was a huge fragment of Soul Edge in its non-mutated hand. Xianghua looked down at Link and saw the pouch on his belt that contained the fragment of Soul Edge. It was hurting him again.

The monster said something to her in what seemed like a strange language.

"Damn it! You have to be useless the minute we need you!" she said to Link before charging at the monster. The monster leaned foreword and charged at her. Xianghua grinned.

"This is going to be easier than I thought." She said grinning. Xianghua lifted No Name level with her shoulder, it would stab straight through the monster's neck if things went as planned. If not, she'll dive out of the way of an attack and slice the back of the lower ribs. Or just attack his feet. She was always good for a comeback. This wasn't what she had planned. The monster held a red glowing ball in its giant claw. The ball expanded and became a sword. It said something seconds before striking her with its odd weapon.

"Xianghua!" Talim screamed.

Xianghua clutched the burnt flesh on her arm and trembled as the monster slowly approached her.

"Please stop!" Talim screamed. Link watched in the corner of his eye as the monster lifted Xianghua by her neck. She clawed at the monster's claw that was beginning to suffocate her.

Talim looked down at Link and froze when she saw a red aura escaping all of his wounds. Before she could do a thing, Link shoved her away from him and charged at the monster.


	17. Souledge's defeat joined by a lost story

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 17

The monster roared as Link brought the master sword against his rib. It dropped Xianghua and slammed Link to the ground.

"Link!" Talim gasped. Xianghua coughed as she reached for her sword. She glanced at Link who lay on the ground unconscious. Talim held her breath and lunged at the beast with her blades ready.

"Strike!" she yelled. Talim completely missed, and was pounded into the ground. She let out a cry of pain and watched frozen as the creature yanked out Link's sword. It's talon burned and it roared angrily. It took its other hand scraped the fragment of Soul Edge against the blade. Xianghua and Talim stared as the fragment began to sink into the blade. The creature dropped it and turned its gaze to Link who was staring at his sword. It yelled something in its language and stomped towards him. Link painfully got to his feet with Rusl's sword in hand and blocked the odd weapon the creature was using. It formed into an ax, then a thin sword. He was hit back against a tree and slid to the ground. He watched as Xianghua brought her blade back and began to thrust it foreword.

"Here…we go!" she yelled as she sent the beast flying onto its side.

"Something's wrong with your sword!" she said quickly. Link's eyes darted to the Mastersword. His eyes widened. Its pale blue light was battling the red aura of the shard. Link raced to it as Xianghua lunged at the creature. Talim watched from where she lay, to afraid to do anything. Link's wounds burned from the pain and fell to his knees. He watched in horror as what looked like veins, and muscles spread over the blade and handle. A small familiar eye opened where the triforce once was and gazed at him.

"…_TAKE ME…DESTROY HIM...FIEST OFF MY POWER…!"_ Without his control, Link took the blade, blood and pus stained his hands as he did so and also dripped from the blade. He silently turned, not even glancing at Talim and felt the power crawl up his arm and race through his body. It felt…good… Link dropped his shield and began to charge at the monster. Its blade was locked with Xianghua's. It pushed her back and put its full attention on him. Xianghua stared in shock at his sword. The eye above the handle gazed at her then at the monster.

"…Link…!" she gasped. The monster swung its weapon at him and growled when Link easily grabbed it with his hand. It stared with its thin red eyes. Link stabbed the master sword through its neck and watched as it vomited blood. The veins of his sword attached to the ripped throat and began to wriggle. Link merely stood there.

"Link! What the hell are you doing?" Xianghua called. She didn't know what to do…wait, yes she did.

"Talim! Throw me the shard of the spirit sword!" Xianghua called. At this the eye gazed at the large shard as it flew through the air and widened.

"…_DESTROY IT! IT WILL DESTROY YOU IF YOU DO NOT LINK!" _Soul Edge yelled. It was too late. Xianghua caught it and charged at them. Link yanked the blade out of the large green corpse and charged at Xianghua. Xianghua skidded to a stop and blocked Souledge. It glared at her furiously. She gasped when Link suddenly snatched the shard of Soulcalibur and attempted to break it.

"Link! DON'T!" she screamed. Link pushed her back, causing her to drop No Name as she fell. Xianghua watched wide-eyed as Link brought Souledge above his head, ready to split her in half.

"Link! Please do not!" Talim called. Xianghua watched as Link's grip loosened on Souledge. Obviously he was finally coming back to his senses. She watched as the shard of Soulcalibur slipped out of his fingers and fell on top of her sword. Just as she looked back up at Link she noticed Souledge's eye was watching her sword in horror. She looked at her sword confused and stared. The shard attached to No Name. They watched as the blade began to glow, brighter and brighter until it was blinding. The light pierced through Souledge, dissolving the organs, blood veins and other parts of it, leaving only the eye behind long enough to see what was actually happening. Xianghua watched as the light faded, leaving behind a long bluish blade that separated into two thin but strong blades. It had small wings above the handle, and seemed to sooth her.

"…_I have waited very long…now take me and free the one that suffers…"_ a voice said. It came from the blade. Xianghua's hand trembled as she obeyed. This blade…it was…Could it actually be? The second the tip of her middle finger touched the cool handle, it poured energy into her. She felt calm, yet afraid…something was happening to her…but what…? Xianghua slowly wrapped her hand around the blade and studied it. It had words written along the sides of the two thin blades. Her eyes widened. It read, "Soul Calibur"

"…_LINK! DESTROY HER!"_ she heard Soul edge yell. That brought her back to her senses. Xianghua glared at the small eye staring back at her. She could see parts of the mastersword underneath the organs and veins that were hanging loosely from the blade. She swung her sword at Link, grinning when he used Souledge to block her and watched as the eye rolled in defeat.

"See it?" she demanded. The eye forced a glare.

"I'm not sure how! But this is Soulcalibur!" she yelled as her own eyes began to glow with the blade.

"I'm going to destroy you!" She said sternly. The eye's pupil shrunk. Bother her, and Soulcalibur's voice had spoken those words at the exact same time. Seconds before the eye dissolved, it closed then opened with a glare. Xianghua caught Link as he fell foreword and carefully eased him to the ground. Soulcalibur's blades were resting onto of the mastersord's, returning its glow. Xianghua carefully turned Link over and placed her hand on his forehead.

"Xianghua!" Talim called as she ran to her.

"Are you ok?" Xianghua asked kindly. Talim nodded slowly. Her gaze turned to Soulcalibur.

"I cannot believe…!" her voice trailed off. Xianghua slowly lifted the blade again and frowned.

"…_Until you have master my power…I will rest…"_ the voice said softly. Talim and Xianghua watched as Soulcalibur began to fade away. No Name was left behind on the ground. They watched as the fragment of Soulcalibur slid to the ground and glinted in the darkness.

"It detached!" Xianghua gasped. Talim slowly picked it up and studied it.

"Soulcalibur…it was so powerful!" she said in shock. Xianghua nodded slowly. She knew Souledge wasn't gone, but it didn't change the fact that she had just defeated it, at least in one way…

"We must inform the others!" Talim said quickly. Xianghua gazed down at Link and frowned.

"You're not going to tell me anything are you?" she asked softly. She watched the unconscious Hylian and frowned.

"Xianghua?" Talim called.

"Go get Raphael. I can't carry him. Take the fragment with you." Xianghua said quietly. Talim nodded and ran down the road.

"And it formed the spirit sword?" Sophitia asked in shock. Xianghua nodded.

"It's the same with Souledge. The fragments can join along with a person's sword, and control the person." She explained.

"Control the person?" Raphael repeated. Xianghua nodded.

"Souledge controlled Link, and Soulcalibur controlled me. That's not all…" She continued.

"When Souledge took over the mastersword, it didn't look like itself. It looked like a different version of itself." Xianghua explained.

"I could have told you that." Raphael said calmly. Xianghua looked at him confused.

"The noble I killed had discovered that. He used a katana, and it had the same texture as Souledge, but didn't look anything like it." He explained. Talim looked up quickly at the thought.

"What if we were to break the fragment of Soulcalibur and use its shards? Perhaps we could all have soulcalibur!" Talim explained.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea. A bit before Soulcalibur disappeared, it told me that it was going 'to rest until I mastered its power'. I think we should just leave it as a shard." Xianghua explained.

"Xianghua's right. Besides, if people begin to hear about it, we will have to fight many more opponents or creatures of Souledge." Sophitia explained.

"And what of Link?" Talim asked. They all fell silent.

"Well now it is perfectly clear," Raphael began.

"I am not sure why, but it is safe to assume that Souledge is seeking to use Link." He explained.

"Just like he did to the man that is now Nightmare." Sophitia explained.

"You knew him before that, correct?" Raphael asked. Xianghua and Talim looked at her in surprise.

"His name has escaped me…I knew him as a child." She explained.

"Then I think it would be best if we were to learn more about him." Talim added. They nodded in response.

"When Link is well enough to walk, we will begin to travel again." Raphael said as he sat at the table.

"We must leave Europe. Now that Souledge knows about Soulcalibur, it isn't safe here." Sophitia explained.

"And where are we going to go?" Xianghua asked.

"To Japan. I met someone on the sea who saved me. She lives in an underground temple. I believe it would be safest to go with her." Sophitia explained.

"That's going to be a long journey. And for a journey as such, Link is going to need more strength." Raphael said slowly.

"If we use the shard of Soulcalibur, perhaps we could give him the strength." Talim explained.

"No," Raphael said suddenly. They looked over at him as he tapped his thumb on the table.

"Call the sword again." He said after a moment.

"But I thought we agreed to not call it back!" Xianghua said quickly.

"I know, but remember how Nightmare could speak to Souledge? We all heard it. Perhaps you could speak with Soulcalibur." He explained. Xianghua frowned.

"Why me?" she asked as Raphael opened the book Talim had found.

"Inside of this book, the researcher indicates how the two swords could take various shapes, but every shape was different." He said showing her various sketches. Each one was a different sword, even knives.

"He also indicated that each one had different strength levels. However, both of these swords had an origional form. Or the form they were 'born in'. It says that those forms are the most powerful forms." Raphael said as he showed her the pictures of Souledge and Soulcalibur. Soulcalibur looked like the one No Name had turned into, and Souledge looked like the one Nightmare had used.

"How did he discover this when he had been using so many different blades?" Sophitia asked.

"It says that for Soulcalibur, every time he separated them, it would return to this form. Souledge however, only turned this way when…" Raphael's eyes widened.

"When what?" Xianghua asked.

"When his son had held it and stricken him with it!" he said in shock. They all fell silent.

"Who is the Author?" Sophitia asked slowly. Raphael turned to the back of the book and read the name.

"Frederick Schtauffen." He said aloud. Sophitia frowned.

"Does it say his son's name?" Sophitia asked slowly. Raphael scanned the pages.

"The only other names in this book are; Margeret Schtauffen and…Requiem wich is the name of the sword his son struck him with." He explained. Sophitia frowned.

"What is it?" Talim asked.

"Frederick met my father once while collecting the shards of Souledge." She began.

"He had a son with him. I do not recall his name, but I was a child at the time. They stayed with us for only a few days and were gone before I knew it." She explained.

"What was he like?" Talim asked.

"He was…timid. I recall reading the letters his father sent to mine. According to his father, he was becoming violent around his research." She explained.

"Then Souledge must have driven the boy mad." Raphael said slowly. Sophitia nodded in agreement.

"Ok. Then I'll ask the soulcalibur how to heal Link in the morning." Xianghua said as she stood.

"Alright, but don't do it alone." Raphael said sternly. Xianghua nodded and followed Sophitia and Talim into the room they shared. Raphael watched the door close and sighed. His and Link's room was on the other side of this one. They all knew now, they had to be very careful.


	18. History of Three Souls

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 18

Raphael awoke to another cry out in pain. It was the third time this night. His eyes traveled to Link who lie on his bed trembling. He sighed exasperatedly and gazed out the window. Whenever they traveled, it would be them who would make the decisions about where they would go. This time, they had to rush. It was obvious that Souledge and Nightmare would come after them. Especially when they had Soulcalibur with them. Carrying around a non-human being wasn't the best idea. No, that would give Nightmare countless leads in order to find them.

Raphael rolled onto his back as he continued to think. It didn't matter if there were leads. They had a large fragment of Souledge, it would be easy for Souledge to track them down. So what now? Raphael glanced at Link, hearing another soft cry of pain and frowned. Even if Link did manage to gain a bit of energy, they couldn't make a long trip. Traveling by land was dangerous, and traveling by sea would be even worse. Souledge wouldn't leave them alone now for sure. It wouldn't be shocking if the ship were to pull into a town that was already half destroyed. He could imagine the azure tyrant waiting there for them with his cursed sword gazing at them. Raphael sighed again and silently closed his eyes. One way or another, they had to leave soon.

"Ready?" Raphael asked as he handed Xianghua the shard of Soulcalibur. Xianghua nodded slowly and put the shard on her blade. They all watched as the blade began to glow, then formed into Soulcalibur.

"…_You are not ready to wield me yet…is there a reason why I have been summoned…?"_ the soft voice asked. Xianghua took a deep breath.

"I wanted to ask you a few things…" Xianghua said slowly.

"_Questions…? I will answer…"_ it said calmly. They all looked at it in surprise. It was that easy?

"_What do you wish to ask…?"_

"Er…I was wondering; why can Souledge speak to its wielder…?" honestly, she didn't have the slightest idea what to ask.

"_Souledge…? It speaks to its master as I speak to you. The wielder and Souledge bond in mind, body, spirit and soul…comprehendible…yes?"_ it asked making sure they followed.

"Ok, so why is it after Link?" Xianghua asked next.

"_Link? The Hylian…Hylians are an ancient tribe that disappeared over centuries. They sense dangers in the future and avoid said danger…all Souledge requires is one Hylian inorder to reach completion…yes?"_

"Completion?" Sophitia repeated.

"_Completion…Three Hylians every decade receive one piece of one of three goddesses. Joined together, it is called the Triforce. The pieces are: The triforce of wisdom, the triforce of power, and the triforce of courage. The Hylian that holds the triforce of wisdom is the princess of their world. The one who holds the triforce of courage is this Hylian. And the one who holds the triforce of power is the very same soul that has endangered Hyrule decade after decade…understand…yes?"_

"You said that it was the exact same soul…but how can that be?" Sophitia asked still confused.

"_The Hylians that first received the pieces are the exact same Hylians today…they begin a life, unaware of the destiny they would soon realize. Once things began again, their pieces would eventually activate and return their memories, experiences and begin developing new abilities. After the battle is one, regardless of which Hylian is victorious, they will return to their former lives and inevitably loose the memories of the battle that had commenced. However, this is only if one of the three are sealed away and not murdered…yes?"_

"What happens if one of them are murdered?" Talim asked slowly.

"_Murdered? The pieces will abandon them and move to their next generation or return to the place where they had been created by the goddesses: the sacred realm. Moving to a new generation is only possible if their children are in the world and not still developing within their mother…yes?"_

"Getting back to Souledge, what is it exactly?" Raphael asked.

"_Souledge? It is a sword with a dark entity born in the shape of a sword. Or as humans would name it, a demon in the shape of a sword…simple…correct?"_

"Not to be rude, but then what does that make you?" Xianghua asked.

"_I? I too am an entity in the shape of a sword…I am also the exact same, opposite and equal of Souledge. However, everything Souledge is, I am and am not…"_

"What?" Xianghua asked completely confused.

"_Apologies. Souledge and myself came into existence at the exact same moment. We broke away from each other upon reaching this world…no?"_

"Does this mean you are twins?" Talim gasped.

"_Twins? Yes."_ They all stared.

"Do you know about the wielder of Souledge before he became nightmare?" Sophitia asked.

"_Wielder? No."_ Raphael frowned. They would have to find out on their own.

"_Hylian. The Hylian is in pain…yes?"_ Soulcalibur asked suddenly.

"Can you heal him?" Sophitia asked.

"_Heal him? Yes."_ Xianghua felt her heart skip a beat. It was that easy?

"Before you do, I was hoping to ask one last question." Talim said suddenly.

"_Question? I will answer."_

"By adding the one shard to Xianghua's blade, we were able to summon you. If we broke the fragment into smaller pieces, could we each have your power on our blades?" Talim asked.

"_Summon? No. I was not summoned. Upon my fragment attaching to this blade, I was freed from the dimension I was once sealed in by Souledge. It is impossible to break the fragment once it has joined. However, I can separate it if that is what my wielder desires."_ Soulcalibur explained.

"And if I did?" Xianghua asked.

"_Desire? Yes. It is possible to share my power with your blades. The power is separated evenly so no power is lost or gained."_

"I knew it!" Talim said happily.

"Great, now let's heal Link please!" Xianghua said as she carefully picked up Soulcalibur.

"_Heal? Yes. It must be done alone however. My power must be done between my wielder and the one I will heal…yes?"_ Xianghua glanced at them before walking alone into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Ok, what now?" Xianghua asked.

"_Retrieve the mastersword."_ Xianghua saw Link's sword lying across the table. She silently picked it up and walked back over to the bed.

"_It is a sacred weapon. You may not draw it, now place it next to the Hylian."_ Soulcalibur instructed. Xianghua did as she was told and waited for what she had to do next.

"_Place me at the source of his wounds…yes?"_ Xianghua nodded and silently placed Soulcalibur over Link's ribs. Link winced in pain. Xianghua watched as a light blue aura began to flow from Soulcalibur. Part of the Aura extended to the mastersword. A darker blue aura began to flow from the sheathed sword and mixed with the light blue aura flowing into his wounds.

That's it!! R&R!!


	19. Attack on the Seas

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 19

"He doesn't look very energetic." Xianghua said doubtfuly.

_"Energetic? Yes, the Hylian has not completely healed. Understand...yes?"_

"Can you not heal him completely of Soul edge?" Talim asked slowly.

_"__Completely? I cannot until my wielder masters the ability to heal someone completely." _Xianghua sighed exasperatedly.

"Where is he?" Sophitia asked glancing around the cabin.

"I believe he is on the deck." Talim said as she sat on the bed she was going to sleep in.

"The sun should be setting soon. He'll get cold." Sophitia said frowning.

"I will-"

"No! I'm going to get him!" Xianghua said excitedly shooting to her feet. Raphael sighed exasperatedly.

"Please no more fights!" Talim pleaded. Xianghua grinned as she walked out the door and into the hallway.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't." she called back as she began to close the door.

"Xianghua!" Sophitia called.

"Detach the shard before you-" it was too late. The door slammed, adding to her unexplained excitement. Sophitia sighed.

_"...She is very different from my previous wielder...yes?" _the voice from Soul calibur said calmly. They all looked over at the demon sword in surprise. Every time they re-attached the shard, it was learning how to have conversations with them.

--

Link stared up at the darkening sky in silence. He was seated on a crate that stood against the entrance to the stairwell. He glanced at the door opening and saw Xianghua step out.

"There you are!" she said placing her hands on her hips. Link didn't reply. He silently stared up at the sky again.

"Still feel bad?" she asked leaning in closer so that she was in his way.

"What do you want?" Link asked annoyed.

"Well! Aren't we ungrateful?" she asked as she sat next to him. Link silently rubbed his eyes. The constant stinging from the lack of sleep was back.

"Sitting back here alone-never mind..." she said stopping herself.

"Hmn?"

"Well, you're so out of the way back here. Besides, with the pile of crates I almost didn't see you, not to mention hear you." she explained. Link frowned.

"You ok? You look tired." she said more softly. Link still didn't respond. Xianghua sighed.

"Yeah, Kilik was really quiet the first time I met him too." she said calmly. Link glanced at her silently.

"Was he?" he asked with a small sigh. He knew where this was going.

"Why won't you tell me about Kilik?" she was looking at the pendant he had given her now.

"Because it may hurt you." he muttered under his breath.

"Hurt me?" she asked suddenly. Link mentally punched himself. He must have been a lot more tired than he thought. He didn't think that she had heard him. Xianghua watched him silently. He looked exhausted, almost like he could drop out any minute. His eyes were blank, as though he were lost in thought.

"Do your wounds hurt?" she asked as she looked away from him.

"No. Thank you, they feel lighter." he replied.

"I wonder why you're so tired though." she pondered out loud.

"Nightmares." he said after a moment. Xianghua looked over at him again.

"About Soul edge?" she asked. Link responded with a small nod.

"I can hear it even now." he began. Xianghua frowned. Link paused placing a hand over one of his pointed ears.

"It speaks to me..."

"What does it say?" she asked in a whisper. In all honesty, now she was terrified.

"It's coming for me. It speaks about all of us at times..."

"Maybe Soul calibur can help?" Xianghua asked slowly. Link shook his head.

"No. It wouldn't change anything." he said quietly. Xianghua frowned.

"Xianghua," he began. Xianghua looked over at him.

"Are you afraid?" he asked. Xianghua looked into his sapphire blue eyes. There was no sign of teasing on his face. He was serious.

"Of course not! Why would I be?" she asked forcing a laugh. Link frowned as he looked away.

"Don't worry." he said softly. Xianghua ceased her fake laughter and looked at him confused.

"I won't let him hurt you." he said calmly. Xianghua blushed. She quickly folded her arms and looked away quickly, displaying an annoyed look on her face.

"Who says I need protection? You know, you're not looken' so macho right now!" she said with an annoyed tone of voice. Link smiled.

"You're right." he said calmly. Xianghua peeked at him in the corner of her eye and turned around so she could smile without him seeing. Her eyes fell upon a huge brown ship with three or four masts. It was too long to be a caravel, and it's deck towered over the water's surface.

"Hey you can see farther than I can, what is that?" Xianghua asked pointing to the ship. Link looked up and examined the ship.

"Well?"

"I don't see anything wrong, there are mostly men on board it. They're looking back at this ship as well." he explained. Xianghua frowned. Link studied the small black flag hanging from the center mast. It had a skull with two bones crossed over each other behind it.

"Xianghua, what does that flag mean?" he asked pointing to it.

"You're the one who can see it, remember?" she asked.

"It's black with a skull and two bones."

"What?" she gasped. Link looked over at her confused to her sudden shock.

"Hey!" she called to one of the crew members.

"There are pirates over there!" she yelled. The man spun around and began to holler the exact same thing to the other members. Before Link could stand, his wounds began to burn. The pain wasn't as bad as the other times...but why were they hurting in the first place? Nightmare on a ship? No way...he was too heavy, besides how would he even get across to this one? Someone was using a fragment of Soul edge then. It must have been huge because it almost equaled the same pain Soul edge normally gave him. Then Xianghua suddenly ran over and grabbed his hand.

"You have to get back to the cabin! You won't last if-"

"I'm fine." he said calmly. Xianghua frowned stubbornly. Link glared back at her with the same stubbornness.

"Fine, your funeral!" she said as she ran back to the door.

"Xianghua! Detach Soul calibur!" he called. She stopped and looked at him confused.

"Just for precaution." he lied. She nodded and slammed the door behind her. Link silently walked past the sailors that were scrambling around for swords and other odd and round black weapons. It had a long tube and at the end there was a trigger, like the ones built into cross bows, but they weren't cross bows because he spotted a few of the weapons. Link moved his gaze back to the ship and took out the hawk eye mask. Before putting it on he found his bow an arrow. The scope like gaze made it so much easier to make out what the pirates of this world looked like. He held the bow and arrow ready, seeing the ship was closing the distance rather quickly. It struck him as odd that the so called "pirates" looked scared instead of eager to raid the "unsuspecting" ship. His gaze fell upon a tall color-less man walk out of the cabin. Link's eyes widened. His eyes were also colorless. His hair was white with age...but he didn't have the appearance of an old man. The wind teased the green and beige coat hanging from his shoulders. A tall black and green hat was mounted on his head, large feathers were attached to it. He wore tall metal boots and held two long blades. He studied the one in his right hand first. It has two tubes along the handle. Both were short but the one closer to the blade was larger and slightly longer than the one below it. The people on this ship had weapons with tubes as well...what did they do? They didn't have blades... Link now studied the other one. He could only make out what looked like blood on the side, before he could confirm this his wounds burned. Once he looked away, the pain stopped. There was the shard.

"Link!" Raphael called. Link removed the mask but still held his bow and arrow.

"Go down to the cabin, you're far too weak." he said walking over to him. Were all of them thinking it? Regardless it was starting to annoy him.

"I'll be alright."

"No you won't." he replied. Link glanced at Sophitia and Xianghua as they came out. Talim was close behind. Before another word could be said, a cannonball was fired. The ship rocked, taking the hit. Link and Raphael fell back on the deck, being closest to the impact. Raphael quickly grabbed onto Link and helped him up. Link winced in pain, his wounds were burning. Was it affecting anyone else? He glanced at Raphael while his gaze was on the ship, obviously that was proof that it was only him. Link grabbed his arrow from the ground and quickly attached the small bomb.

"What are you-" Link fired it before Raphael could finish. The arrow struck one of the masts as the ship pulled along side the ship they stood on. Screams could be heard from the pirate ship as the mast fell to the side, crushing a few of them and hitting the surface of the water loudly. He readied another arrow, seeing the pirates already attaching odd robes with hooks attached. Raphael was the first to charge towards the and began to slice the ropes with a diagonal thrust of his sword. The crew members began to use the odd tube-like weapons. Link watched as small puffs of smoke came from the ends. The pirates that were hit fell into the ocean, bleeding from small holes that had been made from them. His Hylian eyes could see it. They were small, pointed cylinders that flew out of the tubes. They were slightly dull at the points, but they were iron. What kind of weapon was that? He took his attention away and shot down pirates that somehow managed to climb up the other side. Xianghua and Sophitia kept them from overrunning them. Talim wasn't landing many fatal wounds, afraid to kill but the crew members around her were keeping the pirates from harming her. Link switched to his master sword and blocked a pirate's sword with his shield. The pirate swung again. Link dodged a pirate coming fro behind him and turned the master sword around thrusting his arm backwards and stabbing the master sword through the pirate's chest. The other pirate jerked the master sword from his arm and tossed it aside. Link easily grabbed Rusl's sword and used it to block his swing. He freed the master sword and held the two swords ready. He knew how to use both hands, unfortunately he really didn't know how to fight with both hands. The pirate looked a bit nervous, obviously taking the bluff. He back, holding his sword ready. Before Link could break for the shield, the pirate was suddenly shot down with the odd tube-like weapons. One of the crew members had done it. Link sheathed Rusl's sword and took up his shield again. He could hear the cannons from both ships firing as he began to fight another two pirates.

"LINK!" a voice screamed. Then he heard the moaning of wood bending. The pirates began to run, some dove. Link looked up in time to see the mast swinging towards them, and before he could move, the mast slammed against him and two other pirates. He hit the water a lot sooner then he realized. He was sinking from the weight of his weapons. Everything was silent. He couldn't hear anything. Just as he began to try to swim his wounds burned worse than they ever had before. The hand that held the master sword trembled, the aura flowing from it that soothed him was beginning to fade as his hand loosened. He struggled for control over his hand, but it was beginning to numb. The cannons from the ship were the only things that gave him light, even if it was barely anything. Thankfully that meant he was still near the surface.

_"LINK...YOU KNOW BETTER THEN TO ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE ME..."_ Link couldn't hold his breath much longer, and if he lost the master sword here...in the middle of the ocean...now he tried even harder. He struggled to stop sinking and keep his sword in hand, but it wasn't doing him any good.

_"RELEASE IT...BECOME MY SERVANT...AND YOU WILL SURVIVE THIS ORDEAL...NOW LINK, RELEASE THAT FOOLISH SWORD..." _Link couldn't take it an more. His lungs screamed for oxygen. Still her forced it back, then as he lost consciousness, the master sword slipped from his hands. Just as his eyes closed, he felt an arm lock around his ribs then saw a pale hand grab the handle of the master sword.

That's it!! R&R!!


	20. The Silent Beauty Named Taki

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 20

_"...I'M COMING FOR YOU...LINK...HOW FOOLISH...DID YOU BELIEVE YOU COULD HIDE FROM ME...?...IT WAS AS YOU THOUGHT...TRAVELING ALONE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU AN ADVANTAGE...SURRENDER YOUR BODY TO ME...FOR I WILL TAKE YOU VERY SOON..."_

Link slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He coughed as oxygen rushed back to his lungs. Once he settled down his breathing he looked around at where he was. The room rocked back and forth gently. He felt dizzy as he continued to look around at the room. There was a lantern hanging from the ceiling, moths fluttered around its warmth. It swung back and forth with the constant movement of the room. Link began to reach for his forehead when he saw a then black iron cuff locked around his wrist. His eyes widened. He shot up quickly and looked glanced around for a door. Instead he saw bars along one of the four walls. His main question was, where were Raphael and the rest? Link examined the cuffs, seeing a small keyhole on the side of the one on his left wrist. Link listened for any voices, cannon fire...anything...but there was silence. He thought silently, trying to remember what had happened. His mind trailed back to when he was sinking. The hand he had seen grabbing the handle of the master sword. It was pale...it even looked...dead...

At the time he thought it had just been the moon light but...it was unnaturally pale...then he remembered, the man with the dead white eyes and the two odd looking blades. Who he guessed was the captain. Was that who had saved him? But why? And where were Raphael and the rest? Then he heard footsteps.

"So this is the garbage Soul edge is hunting?" a voice said calmly. Link looked up at the bars, seeing them now open, and the captain standing there with his blades in their holsters.

"I see..." he muttered with a grin. Link glared. His glare turned to a stare. He watched the pirate finish wrapping bandages around his bloody hand. The hand that grasped the master sword.

"See what?" Link asked rudely.

"There is an aura emitting from you. Faint, but enough to make Soul edge addicted. You're like a drug for it." he chuckled. Drug? He wasn't sure what that meant, but he pushed it from his mind for now.

"And how exactly would you know that?" he asked sternly. He chuckled again as he reached for one of his two blades. He rested the tip of the blade on his shoulder, never taking his blank dead eyes off of Link. Link winced in pain from the purple aura flowing from the blade.

"...T-That blade, you have a fragment of soul edge." it was hard to speak. The pirate let out a laugh.

"Fragment? How insulting. This is Soul edge. There were two of them born fool." Link stared at the blade. Two soul edges.

"I had both of them once, can you believe such a thing?" he asked as he closed the barred door behind him with his heel. Link watched him turn the small soul edge, gazing at the veins that grew into the iron.

"Then how did Nightmare get it?" he demanded. His grin disappeared.

"You mean Siegfried." he corrected. Link looked at him confused. What was it he had just said?

"That bastard of a knight. I fought with his father once. The bastard Frederick takes it from me and then," he paused to laugh. Link waited, if there was a chance he could escape (obviously not likely) he could get away with finding out more information.

"Then it drives his bastard son insane. Although, I do wish I could have seen said bastard son slaughter him." he explained as he laughed again.

"Bastard?" he repeated. He regretted it when he realized the pirate heard him.

"You aren't from this world. Apologies for my terms to be unfamiliar." he said mockingly. Link glared.

"The son of a whore...stole my sword." he said regaining his grin. Link showed a look of disgust. Then his mind trailed to the thought of this pirate having both Soul edge's. He didn't even want to imagine what he could have been capable of.

"So what is it you want with me?" Link demanded. He grinned.

"Have a name there lad?" he asked. Link glared.

"Why does that matter?"

"I like to know the names of my captives." he said calmly. Link didn't answer.

"Don't worry." he explained as he began to walk over to him. Link felt the pain worsen.

"I'll force it out of you." he said as he pointed his Soul edge at him. Link panted heavily, he felt as though his entire body was burning. He leaned back against the wall still panting heavily, as though breathing was steadily becoming impossible.

"Link is it?" he heard him ask. But the pain didn't stop.

"Cervantes De Leon know the name of the one who will suck your soul." now the pain stopped.

"Is that why...you captured me...?" Cervantes grinned.

"You're excellent bait for me to recover my sword. I will suck out your soul directly in front of him. So just relax until then." he chuckled before walking out of the cell and locking the barred door behind him. Link clutched his wounds in pain, and tried to calm his breathing. Where was the master sword? Or his weapons? He didn't even have a shield. He felt vulnerable, frail, and defenseless. He hated to admit it. But he needed help. What happened to Talim, Sophitia, Raphael and Xianghua? Did the ship sink? What about Epona and the other horses they owned? It was obvious that he was on the pirate's ship, but what happened to the ship they had taken? Link stared out through the bars of the cell he sat in. The guilt washed over him. He knew it was his fault. If they were dead...it was because Soul edge was searching for him. He had to do his mission alone. He couldn't involve anyone else. Link looked up at a different pirate walk past his cell door and disappear beyond his view.

"Captain! We've made port in Japan." he heard him mutter.

"I want the crew to come back with that fragment, or I'll shred all of you into pieces." Cervantes said harshly.

"Yes captain." he heard the pirate reply. He listened to the two pairs of footsteps, then a door close. Silence followed. Link held his hands over his wounds, his eye lids grew heavy. He was still exhausted, and no thanks to Cervantes's soul edge he had been weakened further.

_"...ALONE...YOU ARE ALWAYS AND FOREVER MORE WILL YOU BE ALONE...YOU KNOW THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE FROM THIS...TAKE IT FROM HIM...TAKE SOUL EDGE..."_

Link trembled in his sleep, images of Soul edge devouring people's souls. The screams and blood flying into the air...all visions of torment and death.

_"IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN...I AM DEVOURING YOU EVEN NOW..."_ Link's eyes flew open. He gasped for air, coughing again. His heart thumped in his chest. The nightmares were getting worse. How long had he been asleep? He noticed that he was lying on the ground again. He slowly sat up, realizing some of the heaviness was gone and leaned back against the wall again. The chains attached to the cuffs wouldn't let him stand. Link listened for any movement outside of the cell. Even he could barely make it out, but he heard a thud small enough for a cat to make. He listened to the light foot steps coming closer. Now he looked up at the barred door, waiting for the owner of the footsteps to appear behind it. But no one did. Instead a young woman with raven black hair landed lightly only a few feet away from him. Her soft brown eyes fell upon him as she stood from the cat-like position she had landed. Her long black raven hair was tied back into a high pony-tail with a gold and black headband tied underneath the loose strands of hair hanging over the sides of her face. She wore an iron breast plate with black arm guards. Silver colored cloth hung from the breast plate, acting like a skirt. There were golden strands embroided in the skirt and bordered along the ends of the cloth. The skirt hung over her tall iron boots with black leather leg wraps underneath running up to the edge of her skirt. He noticed the two small swords hanging on her back. One was hanging over her shoulder, and the other at her waist. She walked over to him and knelt down, taking his cuffed wrists in a noticeably gentle manner. All together he couldn't deny that she was beautiful.

"Do not fear me. I am a friend of Sophitia." she explained. her voice was soft, even soothing. He watched her run her thumb over the edge of the cuffs then stop on the hinge.

"This may hurt a bit, so forgive me." she said calmly.

"Go ahead." he said calmly. She nodded and silently pulled her left hand away holding her index and middle finger up while pressing her little, thumb and ring finger against her palm. Then she applied pressure to the cuff. It surprised him how much his wrist began to hurt. She was much stronger than he realized, because looking at her hand, it didn't look like she was putting as much force as she actually was. Then the hinge suddenly snapped and the cuff rolled off. She next grabbed the other one and did the exact same thing with both of her hands. She was a friend of Sophitia's? So this was who they were looking for...? It was obvious that she should know where they are now. Just as he was about to ask, she suddenly placed her hand on his heart and pulled him into an embrace. Link's eyes widened slightly.

"He's bathed you in Soul edge's energy. Link felt his heart racing. Why was he so nervous? He felt as though she was somehow soothing his wounds. It was as thou she were cooling the fire in them.

"Link is your name, correct?" she asked calmly. It caught him off guard that she knew his name. Regardless, he knew she was trying to calm him. He couldn't sense a shard of soul edge on her, and the fragment in one of his belt pouches didn't react. Then a thought struck him. Where was Cervantes? Even if she got past him, how in the world would they get out of here? He couldn't move without being in pain. At last she pulled away and removed her hand from over his heart. Link winced in pain. What did she do to him? He felt as though his heart was slowing down...it was getting harder to stay awake. SHe helped him lean back against the wall and kept her hand on the side of his neck. Link's eye's widened in horror when he saw a needle stabbed into his chest, and his heart. Why was she...was he going to die? She must have noticed his panic because she moved her hand from his neck and wiped away a tear. Then, he fell into darkness.

--

"Where the hell do you think you are going, cur?" Cervantes demanded. The woman calmly laid Link on the deck and stood, ready to grab her swords.

"How many times are we going to play this game?" she asked.

"Taki was it?" he asked with his death glare.

"Yes. Know the name of the one who can stop you every time." she said confidently. Cervantes glanced at Link then glared at her.

"You foolish cur! Your soul is mine!" he yelled. Taki stood ready, watching him begin to charge, then suddenly leaped in the air and spun with his two blades out. Taki sidestepped, throwing an arm around Link's waist and leaping high into the air, landing as light as ever where Cervantes once stood. Cervantes landed heavily on the deck and turned, still glaring.

"So you plan to run do you?" he asked sternly. Taki used her free hand and made the same hand sign again.

"Fighting you isn't in my best interest." she said calmly. Cervantes lunged again.

"There is no escape!" he said as he did the same attack again. Taki changed the position of her fingers at the last minute, switching her index and middle finger with her little, middle finger and thumb.

"Evil...begone!" a huge red ball of fire formed in her palm. She bent her knee as she waved her hand at the deck, upon her hand reaching the level of her knee, a huge ball of fire formed, hitting Cervantes back and lighting the entire ship on fire. She didn't wait one second to see if Cervantes was alive or not. She switched her fingers again and leaped from the ship with her arm locked around Link's waist.

--

He could hear voices next to him. They were oft at first, then he could hear them more clearly.

"Will he be alright?" the voice was younger than the rest. He felt his heart skip a beat. That was Talim's voice.

"I've purified his body. All the traces of Soul edge are gone for now." it was the soft voice of that woman now.

"I think it would be safer if someone else carries the fragment." He guessed that was Sophitia's voice.

"I'll carry it." Yes, that was obviously Raphael. Link opened his eyes at the fact that he didn't hear Xianghua's voice. He was in a dimly lit room and lying in a futon. He reached for his head to settle the dizziness. That made him realize his body was no longer heavy. He noticed another futon lying to his left. He followed it from the tip to who was lying in it. His eyes widened. It was Xianghua. Thin bandages were wrapped around the bottom of her neck. It looked more like a choker then bandages for a wound. But what he noticed was that they were loose. Link slowly sat up and reached for the bandages on her neck, feeling her warm, and soft skin. That was when he noticed that her skin was softer than Ilia's. He blushed when he realized he had forgotten that he wanted to check what was beneath the bandage. He pulled the bandages down and saw the cut. It was small and not serious. Without his control, he ran his thumb over her collar bone. She shifted, showing that it was relaxing her. Link pulled his hand away and looked over at the bamboo door where the rest were still talking.

"No, the drug I used was only a tranquilizer. Even if he is from a different world, it won't kill him." he heard the woman explain. When realization came to him his hand flew to his heart. The needle was gone.

"And your wounds, Sophitia?" the woman asked.

"Do not worry, Taki. I'm alright."

"Perhaps, it would help if Miss Taki traveled with us." he heard Talim say.

"I don't travel in groups." the woman named Taki explain.

"I know it is strange, but we need help. It doesn't even have to be for long. You may go your own way after words. We just need to find nightmare." Sophitia reasoned. It was silent for a moment.

"I'll think about it. I have things that must be addressed here before I decide. You are welcome to stay in this temple as long as you like." she explained. Link silently laid back down and let out a breath. The door to the room they were in opened. Talim froze when she saw him awake.

"You are alright?" she asked quickly. Seeing her without a single bandage gave him an overwhelming sensation of relief. He sat up as she sprinted over to him. Talim fell to her knees and hugged him. Tears rolled from her eyes.

"I was so afraid..." her voice trailed off. Link smiled quietly.

"Don't worry. I'm alright." he said calmly. Xianghua watched them from where she lay. Her heart was racing. Her hand was on her neck, where Link had touched her. The worst part was...she wanted him to do it again.

That's it!! R&R!!


	21. The Prideful Samurai Named Mitsurugi

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the looooooooooooong wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 21

Link silently pulled Epona after him. A long black cloak hid his Hylian features. They had all bought cloaks in a town for the rain during their travel. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't bring any harm to anyone of this world anymore. People of this world were dying around him. He still had wounds that were healing, but they were no longer infected with the fragments of soul edge. Regardless, he had taken the fragment with him. He could sense the aura trying to find a way into his body, but what ever that woman had done, it couldn't find a way in. Epona snorted in discomfort. It was obvious she could sense the aura as well. He rubbed the top of her snout soothingly. She bobbed her head impatiently as they walked through the streets of the lantern lit town. Cherry blossoms fell from the trees, glittering in the moonlight. Two women dressed in bright colored kimonos passed by giggling and gossiping before disappearing into another building. He looked from them to a crowd of people all dressed in evening kimonos whispering nervously. Link drew closer, some of the people got out of his way when they heard Epona's hooves. Link's eyes fell upon a soldier lying dead on the ground. There was blood everywhere. It didn't take but a second for him to know he was dead. There was another man, barely wounded with a small circular scar on his shoulder. The blood on his body was not his own. It was the soldier's. These two men had fought a duel. The man who won cleared his throat as he lifted a large porcelain jug off of a rock and gulped down some of its contents. He had long raven black hair that was tied back and out of his face. There was an iron shoulder and upper leg guard on his left shoulder and leg. A tick red belt was tied securely tied over his dark blue pants. He had a pair of straw sandals strapped over what Sophitia had called tabi socks. He had a rugged face, with a thin black mustache and beard two iron gauntlets dripping with blood were also strapped around his wrists. He found it strange that the man didn't bother wearing a shirt or any type of breastplate. He studied the round scar on his revealed shoulder. What kind of blade could have made that?

His thoughts trailed back to Cervantes's sword and those odd tube-like weapons the crewmembers of that ship used. Did he get hit by one of those? The skin around it look as though it had grown back wrong. The man grabbed a clean section of the dead man's shirt and used it to clean his thin sword. Link narrowed his eyes. That was beyond insulting. His eyes flickered to the woman next to him. She had dark brown hair and wore an exquisite pink kimono. Her hair was pulled up into an odd ornament. She held a scarlet parasol propped on her shoulder. It was obvious that she wasn't from this area. There were tears in her eyes as she spun around, and walked past him, making eye contact for a single moment. Link didn't watch her leave. Instead, his eyes went back to the man.

"Why did Mitsurugi kill that guard?" he heard a woman ask.

"I think they planned the duel!" a man whispered back. Link glanced at the couple before leading Epona around the crowd.

"A large red mare?" a voice asked. Link stopped. Epona had as well. Her head turned towards the crowd with her ears alert. The crowd was in pure silence.

"And I'm sure there are pointed ears underneath the hood of that cloak." He said calmly. Link turned halfway to look at him. The man grinned back. Now people began to whisper, things that he could hear with his Hylian ears.

"A pirate is hunting you. I've never seen a man so furious." He chuckled. Link glared. This man didn't have much respect, there was too much pride in him for that.

"The on the azure night is hunting." He said with a smug grin on his face. Link glared. The people continued to whisper.

"I've been searching for you for some time." He said taking a step foreword. Link's attention was diverted for a moment. He could sense the other soul edge, Cervantes's soul edge. It was coming closer.

"I'm not interested." he said not even looking at the man.

"I guess this fragment wasn't what lured you." He said calmly. Link looked over seeing him toss a larger fragment of soul edge into the air and catching it in his palm. The same prideful and smug grin was on his face. Now the people's whispers quickened. In only a matter of seconds he heard a number of rumors about him.

"Fight me. Or am I too intimidating?" he asked calmly. Link's glare tightened. A man like this would kill a man in front of anywhere. Link glanced down the street, Cervantes was coming closer...he had to leave now. He could sense it. This man wouldn't leave him alone until he got his fight. That's how someone who was prideful like him was. This…Mitsurugi was probably his only escape… Link looked down at the dead guard. This man was skilled, very skilled. He would have to be careful.

"Fine, but away from here." Link replied. The man's grin widened slightly with his satisfaction.

"Follow me." He said calmly. The crowd backed away as he walked past him, ready to lead him to hopefully some secluded place where no innocent people, Cervantes or Xianghua and the rest wouldn't find him.

--

"HE WHAT?" Xianghua practically screamed.

"Miss Xianghua try to calm down!" Talim said quickly.

"I saw him leaving while I was returning. He went off somewhere with Mitsurugi." Taki explained.

"Mitsurugi?" Raphael repeated. Taki nodded.

"A samurai who lives in this country. I've crossed blades with him many times before." She explained.

"We must go after them!" Sophitia said quickly.

"What's the point? That bastard wants to do things on his own anyway!" Xianghua said annoyed.

"Mitsurugi won't kill him," Taki began.

"He's a prideful and strong. And if Link is as strong as you say he is, Mitsurugi will have no desire to kill him. He only seeks to fight someone and test his strength." She explained.

"It seems you know him very well." Raphael said after a moment.

"Ok! I decided!" Xianghua said suddenly. They all wondered if she had been listening.

"We're bringing him back and forcing him to travel with us!" she said as she walked towards the door.

"She's always impatient, yes?" Talim asked exasperatedly. Taki watched Xianghua walk through the entrance in silence.

"She worries for him. We should be careful." Taki said calmly.

"Are you coming along with us?" Sophitia asked. Taki looked over to her and nodded.

--

Link looked around at the courtyard they stood in. It was the courtyard of an abandoned palace on the side of a cliff. Mitsurugi was sitting on the steps to a doorway, drinking away at the bottle. They had been there for an hour or two and neither drew their sword. Epona was grazing peacefully. Link's cloak hung on her saddle with the wind teasing it when she moved into the current.

"So you left them behind?" Mitsurugi asked calmly. He had told him about why he had been here, in order to keep him from fighting. He still had sense, bit it was obvious that he was getting drunk from all of the saki.

"Makes sense. Traveling in groups never aids discretion." He said staring out at the forest below the cliff.

"How did you come by that fragment?" Link asked.

"I helped a man being attacked. It was mere payment." He said calmly. Link frowned. He had judged him too quickly.

"Why did you kill that man in the town?" Link asked.

"He told me not to hold back. It would be an insult to refuse his wishes." He explained. Link looked away from him.

"That woman named Taki, is she still hunting the sword?" he asked calmly.

"I would assume so, it seems even you are." Link replied. That made him laugh.

"I have my reasons." He replied. Link turned his attention to Cervantes for the moment. He couldn't sense him at all. A moment ago, he had been close but now…

"Didn't you want to fight me?" Link asked calmly.

"I'd rather when I'm not drunk." He said grinning. Link grinned slightly. Mitsurugi Heishirō, he was definitely a strange one.

"It's about time. I thought the coward would be hiding forever." Mitsurugi said as he stood.

"I thought you were drunk." Link said as he reached for Rusl's sword.

"I'm not fighting you." He said motioning for him not to get up from the steps he sat on with his katana. Link looked at him confused. Epona lifted her head with hear ears alert. Link watched as Mitsurugi reached for Epona's snout, stroking it as two doors on the opposite side of the courtyard from where they were fell from the hinges.

"So here we are." It was Cervantes. Had Mitsurugi been waiting for him the entire time? Link stood as Epona trotted over to him. He had been used as bait…

"Link, I'm fighting you after I kill him." Mitsurugi said without even looking at him.

"What are you, crazy? You don't know-"

"Which makes it enjoyable. Besides, we can fight without any distractions." He said with the same grin. Link frowned. Cervantes burst out laughing.

"Oh please! Don't underestimate me fool." Cervantes chuckled. Mitserugi held his Katana ready, bending his knees to go into his stance and grinned.

"Just don't disappoint me." He said calmly. Cervantes leaped foreword.

That's it!! R&R!!


	22. The Final Member

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Soooooo inspired!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 22

Mitsurugi locked his katana with both of Cervantes's blades.

"How would you like me to kill you?" Cervantes asked grinning. Mitsurugi merely grinned, too satisfied with the obvious strength his opponent had. He forced the strength through his arms and forced Cervantes back. As he stumbled back Mitsurugi spun around on his heels and thrust his katana back beside his ribs. Cervantes dodged in time to only receive a scrape from the blade and swung Soul edge at him. Mitsurugi skillfully lifted his blade horizontally and blocked him.

"Oh please, and here I thought you would be more challenging." He responded with a smirk. Cervantes gained some distance and held Soul edge high up into the air. An odd dark purple aura surrounded it in an instant. Link stared at it. The aura was wrong…shouldn't it have been red? Then a thought struck him…did Mitsurugi even know about Soul edge? His hands flew to his bow and snatched an arrow from his quiver. He readied the arrow and pointed it at Cervantes before releasing the long thin arrow. His eyes widened when Mitsurugi managed to reach out and catch the arrow before it could pierce the dead pirate.

"Do not interfere, Link!" he called back. Link stared.

"There is no honor in an unfair fight. Nor is there any satisfaction for me." He said grinning. Link held his bow in a fist. Was he stupid? At least he managed to stop Cervantes from using Soul edge.

"Fair, huh?" Cervantes asked grinning. Mitsurugi glared.

"Learn foolish cur! Pirates never fight fair!" he yelled as he charged at Link. Link froze in place, not realizing what Cervantes was planning to do until the purple aura surrounded Soul edge again. Link dropped his bow, knowing there wasn't enough time to replace it between his swords and grabbed the first handle of one of the two swords that hung underneath his shield. He mentally cursed himself as Cervantes's Soul edge came closer and closer as he drew whichever sword he chose. His other arm was through the straps of his shield, but even he knew he wouldn't have enough time to defend himself. Then before he could make another movement, Mitsurugi was there. He successfully kicked Cervantes back and crouched into his fighting stance. Link felt as though he had just now regained control over his body. It felt as though his heart had finally continued beating. What just happened? Before he could figure it out, Mitsurugi fell to one knee directly in front of him. He saw smoke rise from Cervantes's other blade. He had used that strange weapon…Link glanced at the sword in his hand, mentally thanking himself that it was the master sword and lunged at Cervantes. Cervantes grinned.

"That eager to surrender, boy?" Cervantes asked with a chuckle as he pointed the odd weapon attached to his blade. Link leaped sideways and rolled around servants, launching himself off of the ground with an instant spin attack, cutting up Cervantes's shoulder blades. Cervantes screamed in pain but stopped himself from falling to one knee. Link didn't stop there. He instantly pulled his sword back by his shoulder then took a step closer to him, slamming the handle into the ground, sending a large ring of the Master sword's blue aura to fly out and strike Cervantes's legs. Cervantes suddenly grinned and grabbed Link by his neck and pointed the odd weapon attached to his blade.

"Enough of this. Hand over your soul!" he said despite his pain. Before he could do anything else, Mitsurugi appeared and kicked him away again. Link landed on one knee and coughed.

"Pretentious cur. You're fighting me!" he said annoyed. Cervantes glared.

"I'm done with you fool! Go crawl back into the hole you came from!" Cervantes said furiously. Link watched Mitsurugi lunge foreword, bringing his blade up, slicing his shirt, then bringing it down along the shirt's rip and cut the flesh. Then he waved it vertically, making a deep cut across his ribs. It took time for his blood to run, it was probably the fact that he was dead.

"Don't move around too much." Mitsurugi said calmly. Link looked at him confused. Mitsurugi once again lunged at Cervantes, getting him dangerously close to towards the edge of the cliff. Epona whinnied with fear and galloped over to Link. Link grabbed her reins but never looked away from the battle. Now they had locked blades again. Both were attempting to force one another over the edge. Mitsurugi's eyes flickered to Soul edge as it began to glow purple again. Mitsurugi instantly stepped back and kicked him off of the edge. Cervantes stabbed Soul edge into the wall and pointed the gun attached to his other blade at Mitsurugi as Soul edge sparked while it cut the stones. Mitsurugi sidestepped the bullet and watched Cervantes leap off of the wall and disappear into the forest below. He escaped…

Link could still sense Soul edge but it was fading. Cervantes was retreating! Link silently held the wound he didn't realize he had on his leg as Epona stomped her foot uncomfortably.

"Try not to move around too much." Mitsurugi called as he sheathed his katana. Link silently sheathed the master sword. He looked up at Mitsurugi seeing him alert with one hand on his katana. His thumb was pressed against the hand guard, ready to push it out slightly.

"I should have known you would be foolish enough to go after Link." A voice said calmly. Link picked up his bow from the ground, watching Taki step foreword from where Cervantes had entered the courtyard.

"You delude yourself if you think that is what occurred." He said as he retrieved his bottle of saki. Taki glared. Link could sense it between the two of them. It was strong…pure hatred…both had the resolve to kill each other.

"Hand over that fragment of Soul edge." She said sternly. Mitsurugi pulled the bottle away from his lips and glared at her.

"I will pry it from your cold dead hands if I have to." She growled. Now he grinned.

"Let's go." He said as he crouched into his battle stance again. Taki did the same.

"It's nothing personal, but I must win." She said as she lifted her hands ready to snatch her swords. Link watched them, not really knowing what he should do. Attempting to stop them would be useless, even more so with his new injury. The two stepped around in a circle, stopping when Mitsurugi was a few feet away from him. Mitsurugi released his sword and finished the remaining contents of his saki.

"Step away from him!" Taki said sternly. Link watched wide-eyed as Mitsurugi reached for the small circular wound on the side of his rib and winced slightly as he dug his fingers into the wound.

"What are you doing now?" Taki demanded.

"Removing the bullet. Why would I give you a fair advantage?" he asked rudely.

"Link, I will heal your wounds once this is finished." Taki said reassuringly.

"Then what? You will force him to come back to the others?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"He owes me a fight and we are both wounded." He said calmly.

"And what? You are going to follow him around until the two of you are healed?"

"It's possible." He said grinning. Link sighed exasperatedly as he used the master sword to heal his wound. He wasn't going to hear the end of this.

--

Once again they were headed west. All were scattered on the ship. Talim and Sophitia were close as usual, and Taki was standing near by, annoyed with the being on the opposite side of the ship. Link sat on a barrel that stood against the outer wall of the cabin. Raphael was leaning against the railing nearby staring out at the ocean, and Mitsurugi was seated against the railing next to him with a long thin cigarette in his mouth. He could hear them talking, laughing once, then just speaking of Soul edge. Surprisingly the two got along well. Not much was said when they came to the docs, only that it would be better if they continued. The only issue concerning Mitsurugi was that an extra source of muscle would be better. His reason for staying was that apparently he owed the samurai a fight and that he wanted a chance at Nightmare. Link couldn't help but grin slightly. Mitsurugi was definitely a strange one.

That's it!! R&R!!


	23. Remembrance of the Monk

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!! WHE'RE ALMOST TO THE END OF PART 1!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 23

They all sat around the campfire underneath the almost black sky. There was meat cooking within the flame. There hadn't been a river, so hunting down an animal was the only alternative. Mitsurugi and Link had already disposed of the carcass.

"If we go further east, we'll reach the outer village of Ostrheinsburg." Raphael said as he ran his finger from their location to a different spot on the map.

"Ostrheinsburg?" Link repeated.

"That is where Nightmare once stayed. There were rumors that the place is covered with Soul edge's aura." Raphael explained.

"He has to frequently return there in order to sooth the demon sword." Sophitia added. It was still a bit far from where they were, and there was a lake in their way…they didn't have much money, and he was almost out of rupees. The last ship they needed to pay for had cost them over two hundred and whatever they had called their money. He had felt bad for paying with only one green rupee, but Raphael didn't let him pay more. They had been traveling for probably a month or two. He lost count at six or seven weeks of this world. Then that reminded him. It had almost been one full year in this world. The trees and grass of the field they were in proved it with their mixtures of colors. Splashes of reds, oranges, browns and yellow instead of green grasses were all around them. It was getting cooler as they headed towards Ostrheinsburg. Who knew that he would finish this in half the time he was given? He wondered how far he was from the portal? This area looked a bit familiar. Had Ostrheinsburg been that close?

"Hey you know what?" Xianghua asked suddenly. It brought his attention back to whatever they were discussing.

"Kilik's grave is around here. Mind if we go visit it in the morning?" she asked. Link's eyes widened. Where he buried Kilik was near here? The portal had only been a few miles away from the town where he had met Kilik…so he had gone into a huge circle?

"The monk right?" Mitsurugi asked as he lifted his porcelain bottle to his lips.

"You knew him?" Xianghua asked.

"I fought him once. He was entertaining. So how did he die?" now Link mentally cursed Mitsurugi. Xianghua glanced at Link. Sophitia was about to speak when Xianghua replied.

"I'm not sure." That caught Link off guard. No demands or complaints? She didn't make eye contact with him, and he could tell it was on purpose. He looked away silently and stared at the flames. He forgot that he had been keeping it from her, and this entire time…

They were silent for a moment, listening to their horses (all except for Taki because she didn't need one) re-adjust themselves or stand after lying down for too long.

"I'm going to try and sleep. We will be traveling tomorrow all day." Talim said as she stood. She had still been growing. They had to find new clothing for her again. She now wore a pink blouse with a trim at the bottom that looked like flower petals. A small white and lilac coat was buttoned over it. Her long black mid-night hair was pulled into two golden ornaments with long pink ribbons hanging from them. Brown leather gauntlets adorned her lower arms and she wore a tall pair of dark red socks that matched her red shorts and the pink and brown leather shoes she also wore. Link listened to her walk past him, listening to her lye down while grabbing the blanket the blanket she had brought with her and using her messenger bag to rest her head on. They had all done the same in all honesty.

"I think I will too." Taki said calmly as she stood. Surprisingly, she nor Mitsurugi had said a word to each other, let alone glance at each other.

"Or do I have to keep my guard?" Taki asked calmly. Mitsurugi grinned.

"Maybe." He replied. Link sighed exasperatedly. He thought too soon. He saw Raphael grin as he finished rolling up the map and shoving it into one of his saddlebags.

"Must I say it?" he asked sarcastically. Link smiled too himself as Raphael walked by, dropping a rupee in his lap.

"Pay more." He chuckled. Link chuckled and replaced the rupee in his wallet.

"Good night. Try not to sleep too late." Sophitia said kindly before also walking away from the campfire. The two were silent, waiting for Sophitia's footsteps to disappear.

"Xianghua."

"Hn?"

"It's about Kilik." He said watching her in the corner of his eye. Xianghua didn't look away from the flame. Obviously it had been hurting her.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She said calmly. Link frowned.

"No. I should have told you before." Link admitted.

"Yeah." She replied. Link studied her silently. Her hair had grown. Because of her using her sword to cut her hair, it grew back unevenly, but it looked nice for her.

"He protected me from some thieves in a bar. He asked for the pendant that is now hanging around your neck as an engagement gift. When I was about to leave that town I came across the same thieves. He was dying when I got to him." He explained. Xianghua's eyes filled with tears. Link glanced at her.

"He told me you were the world to him. He wanted to spen the rest of his life with you, if he could." Link said calmly. Tears rolled from Xianghua's eyes.

"Was he in a lot of pain?" she asked. Link thought back to that night in the rain. Kilik had smiled at him, he looked as though the cuts and whip marks didn't cause him as much pain. He could sense some type of strange power at work, attempting to heal his wounds. But it had been a failed attempt.

"No. He was strong. He thought only of you until the end. He accepted his death unlike many others." Link said calmly. Xianghua whipped away her tears and stared at the flames.

"Forgive me." Link said quietly. Xianghua looked over at him.

"For what?" she asked as she looked away.

"I'm not exactly sure how I could have changed the outcome, but-"

"I'm a coward." She interrupted. Link looked at her confused. He watched as she lifted Soul calibur and ran her finger over the side of the blade.

"I can't fight Nightmare." She said as she stabbed the sword into the grass.

"But you've been training."

"…_Training? She has not been able to completely wield me yet…yes?"_

"Who asked you?" Xianghua asked annoyed. Link smiled quietly.

"See? Even you can tell." She said as she wrapped her hands around her knees.

"Don't worry." Link said softly. Xianghua looked over at him confused.

"I'll be there with you. You'll barely have to swing Soul calibur around." He said taking her hand in his. Xianghua smiled sadly. She weaved her fingers with his but didn't move closer to him.

"I'm counting on you." She said calmly. Link smiled slightly, staring at the flames.

Sorry!! Short update but soon Part 1 will be over!! R&R!!


	24. Approaching Dangers

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Sorry for the wait!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 24

They were asleep, all seven of them in the dead of night. Their horses were still, with a breeze teasing their mains and tails. Everything was captured in sleep…everything, except for a creature slithering through the tall grass. It had already crossed the river, and now it was closing in fast on its prey. It followed the scent of its prey, ready to dig the steel blades of its odd claw-like weapons through the unnaturally soft skin of its prey. After all this time of tracking it's prey by scent, it would finally be able to satisfy the disturbing and unrelenting addiction that tormented its mind. It paused, hearing the slightest movement. This killer was more than alert. The movement happened again, its shard of Soul edge surged power through its body. It was close to its prey, very close.

"…_ARE YOU GOING TO FACE ME LINK…?"_ The voice was in his head again. He could hear the demon sword chuckle.

"…_WHY DO YOU NOT COME TO ME ALONE…? CAN THEIR LIVES BE SO EASILY THROWN AWAY…? SURRENDER TO ME HYLIAN…!"_ Link pressed his palm over his ear. The voice wouldn't stop.

"…_YES…COME TO ME. I WILL SPILL ALL OF MY DARKNESS INTO YOUR BODY…AND THE TRIFORCE OF COURAGE WILL BE MINE…"_ Link bit down on his lip. His hand twitched. No…he would never give the triforce of courage to him. Never…!

"…_I'VE GROWN STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE…YOU ARE WEAKER THEN SIEGFRIED."_ Siegfried…that was his name… By now, they knew enough to make sense of it all. Siegfried…the man who had been driven insane and turned into that thing…the one who's mind is poisoned…the one who suffers without fail…

"…_YOU BELONG TO ME JUST AS SIEGFRIED DOES…"_ Link swallowed. He couldn't take much more of this.

"…_I SEE YOU EVEN NOW AND-"_

"Don't listen." Link's eyes flew open. That wasn't Soul edge's voice.

"Don't listen. That sword that lays within your hands is your only salvation." The voice explained. Link glanced around at the others. They were all asleep. Was this a trap? It had to have been…Soul edge's voice had stopped. But who's voice was that?

"…_YES LINK…WHO IS THAT SPEAKING TO YOU…?" _Soul edge was laughing. Link focused on the voice. Then Soul edge fell silent.

"…_BEHIND YOU…"_ Link looked up, his eyes widened. He instantly rolled out of the way as his hand flew to his sword. Voldo hissed furiously, awakening the rest.

"It's that creature!" Talim gasped. Voldo wasted no time in lunging at Link. Link kept his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to perform a death draw. Before he could however, Taki launched three kunai knives at him, successfully striking Voldo's side. Voldo fell to the side, but quickly shot up to his feet, ready for another attack.

"Well, well. Link's very popular." Mitsurugi said sarcastically as he stepped in between them. Link took the opportunity to examine the three thin cuts that ran across his chest. The chain mail was the only thing that had protected him, but even the chain mail was pierced. Link watched Mitsurugi charge at Voldo and unsheathed the master sword. Talim ran to him and stared at the cuts that were now seeping blood. Just as he began to stand, the familiar unbearable pain returned to his body. Link's eyes darted to the weapons Voldo was using. They were covered with veins, rotting flesh and organs. Pus and blood dripped from them. Now Voldo managed to wound Mitsurugi, but that didn't take him down. He found his footing and charged again. Voldo screeched in pain as Mitsurugi's katana stabbed through the side of his leg.

"Pathetic cur." He muttered as he yanked out the katana. Voldo rolled away from him and again charged at Link. Talim screamed.

"Eat this…here's a nother!" Xianghua yelled as she lunged foreword. She spun her blade in her palm, cutting the side of Voldo's shoulder, then his neck. Voldo waved his blades at her. Xianghua yanked herself back and grabbed his arm, pulling herself onto his back.

"Here-we go!" she planted her feet onto his back and pushed herself off, a few bones obviously broke as she landed lightly on the ground. Voldo screeched again, the wounds made from Soul calibur were obviously affecting every inch of its tainted body.

"Xianghua, step back!" Taki ordered. Xianghua watched as Taki lunged past her and drew one of her swords, locking it with Voldo's left claw, then pinned his other one down with her foot. She arranged her fingers of her free hand as she forced him back than made strange movements with both of her free hands in seconds.

"Evil be gone!" a huge ball of flames shot from the ground and spread out, hitting Voldo back. Voldo landed hard on his shoulder before forcing himself up to his knees. Then, he felt a hand grab him by the neck.

Raphael brought back his rapier, then stabbed it through, over and over, leaving tiny holes, but instead of using a larger thrust, he kicked him back.

"Move Raphael!" he heard Link call. Raphael obeyed, watching the arrow fly by him, but Voldo was ready. He sliced it with his blades and lunged foreword.

Link watched Voldo come closer. His wounds were burning, his body felt as though it were on fire. He could tell Mitsurugi and Sophitia were feeling the exact same thing. It wasn't only them; Raphael and Taki were in pain as well. Was Voldo's Soul edge that strong? Xianghua charged, spinning around on the balls of her feet and hit Voldo back. Link's eyes widened when he saw the ice blue aura from Soul calibur drifting up Xianghua's arm and into the cut on her neck. The cut was outlined in Soul edge's aura. Cervantes had done that…he had forgotten that her body was also poisoned. The only reason why she could fight normally was because Soul calibur was keeping the wound in check. Then he realized something…Talim was the only one who wasn't feeling any pain…She had never received wounds from Soul edge. He could hear the horses whinnying in panic as Sophitia struck Voldo in the back of his head with her shield. Xianghua came from behind, ready to stab Soul calibur into him. But instead Voldo yanked a huge fragment of Soul edge off of his weapon and threw it at Soul calibur before rushing away into the darkness. Xianghua hadn't pulled Soul calibur away in time. Small tentacles sprouted from the fragment and attempted to attach to the sword, but then a thin blue ring from Soul calibur's eye shot out and easily detached the fragment. Xianghua sighed in relief.

"Hand over the fragment." Raphael said holding out his hand. Xianghua quickly picked it up and tossed it to him. Raphael caught it, wincing in pain as he hastily shoved it into his leather pack.

"Is everyone alright?" Talim asked quickly.

"Define alright." Mitsurugi replied as he sheathed his sword. Three long red cuts ran across the back of his revealed shoulder. A red aura came from underneath Taki's left gauntlet.

"We're out in the open. We have to find some type of cover." Taki said as she pressed down on her wounded arm.

"That lake over there, Maxi told me that he and his crew used a cave." Xianghua explained.

"We will go there then." Raphael said as he walked over to his horse. Link pressed the master sword against his new wounds and felt the cool aura already healing them. He knew it wouldn't remove the poison however. He silently sheathed the master sword and stood.

"Are you alright?" Talim asked quickly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He replied as Epona galloped over to him.

"Lead the way Xianghua." Raphael said calmly. Xianghua nodded.

That's it!! Sorry if it was rushed!! R&R!!


	25. Indecision and Romance

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! We're almost finished!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 25

The clouds rolled sluggishly through the sky while a gentle breeze blew in over the surface of the lake. It wasn't long before they came around the small bend and found a large circular opening to a cave. Beyond the circular wall, there was a platform in the center. It was square shaped; it looked like an arena of some sort. Behind it, they could see stands and buildings at the top of them, carved into the cave walls. Were tournaments once held here? It looked as though it had been…waiting for them. For reason's unknown, hope radiated from it as their boats drew closer to the docs that were attached to the side of one of the cave walls. They docked in silence, tying the three boats quickly. The air was moist, calming…none of them understood why the sensation had suddenly took over but…it felt safe, comfortable…at home even. They were too focused on the sensation that not a word was said as they walked up the perfectly sturdy doc. At a closer look, the doors above and the balcony were covered with gold. The plants along the cliffs outside, and on top of the cave were overgrown, as if no one in this world had ever touched it. As though the shelter in this cave had naturally been here. Raphael and Sophitia were in the lead with Talim and Taki a step behind. Mitsurugi was a step be hind them with Xianghua and Link taking their time at the rear. The five had stopped once they passed the cave wall. Link and Xianghua exchanged confused looks, wondering why they had stopped. Once they caught up, they understood. Link glanced at the rest, realizing he wasn't the only one hearing it. Voices. Voices of many different kinds, some were cheering, some screaming in fear or defeat, even whispers. He didn't think it were possible, this world barely had any magic in its atmosphere. Yet here they were, able to hear voices in the air. Towards the roof of the cave, there were small white balls of light aimlessly floating around in the air. Just like in the village…the were souls…

Then Nightmare and Soul edge must have come here, but how strange that even though blood had been spilled in this place, it was so welcoming. They all stood there in silence, gazing up at the souls that floated high above them. They could feel the fear, the sadness…all of the emotions that they had left behind.

--

They had left the horses along the edge of the lake, hidden so as to continue once Xianghua was ready with soul calibur. Raphael silently jogged down the steps of the bleachers and slowed to a walk once he reached the lower balcony that over looked the arena. He followed it to one of the abandoned homes that had also been carved into the cave wall where he had left Sophitia to find anything they could use. He had already found a few swords that he and Mitsurugi could use. He saw Link sitting on the edge of the arena alone with a fishing rod. He grinned. Where was he hiding all of it? He pushed it from his mind as he walked into the abandoned home and looked around silently.

"Sophitia?" he called. There was no response. He hadn't seen her outside. Raphael silently walked through a doorway across the room and looked around for the beautiful priestess. His eyes fell upon her sword and shield, then they traveled to her clothing lying on the wooden bench her weapons were propped against. He heard water dripping, then the footsteps of her bare feet on the stone tiles. He looked away, but couldn't get his body to react. His heart raced.

"Raphael!" she gasped quickly turned around. Raphael saw her complete nudity as he quickly spun around.

"Forgive me." He said quickly. Sophitia watched him as she reached for her clothes. She picked up her blue tunic but didn't lift it.

"That night, after we left the Gala was a mistake." She said quietly. Raphael frowned.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself." He said sarcastically. Sophitia silently thought back to the dark ally next to the inn where they had been staying. Her hand traveled to her ribs where her bruises had once been. The bruises left by _his_ fingers. Sophitia released her tunic and walked over to him. Her arms trembled as she reached for him. Her conscience was burning in her skull. She placed her bare hands on his shoulders, he glanced at her, trying to avoid looking at her naked body. Sophitia sighed exasperatedly as she rested her forehead against the center of his shoulder blades. Her heart raced.

"…You've ruined me…" she muttered as tears rolled down her cheeks. Raphael held the door and stood there silently staring out at the room outside of the doorframe. He felt Sophitia holding him again before closing the door and turning to her and pressing his lips against hers. He felt her hands travel to the bottom of his shirt, grasping it and pulling it up wards. Raphael tossed off his shirt and ran his fingers up the sides of her spine as she reached for his belt.

--

Link silently removed the fish from the hook and placed it inside the basket Talim had left him. He placed the fishing rod on the arena next to him and laid back on the cold ground.

"How many did you catch?" Xianghua asked staring at the large amount of fish in the basket.

"I wasn't counting." He replied.

"I don't think we need this many…" Xianghua said slowly.

"You're not bored are you?" she asked sarcastically.

"Maybe." He said grinning. Xianghua sat on the floor next to him and studied the fishing rod.

"It's hand made?" she asked calmly.

"One of the kids in my world made it. His father helped." Link explained.

"The kid named Colin, right?" she asked as she put it back down.

"Yes."

"And what's this, an earring?" she asked looking at the hook.

"From another child." He said calmly. Xianghua looked away from it and laid back on the ground next to him.

"Do you miss them at all?" she asked calmly.

"Yes, very much." He explained. Xianghua frowned.

"Yeah, I miss Kilik and Maxi." She admitted.

"I'm sorry." Link said quietly. Xianghua shook her head.

"I know you are." She sighed.

"What will you do after all of this is over?" Link asked calmly. Xianghua frowned.

"I don't know." She said calmly.

"You don't have any other family?" Link asked as he watched the souls.

"No." she replied.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Link said quietly.

"You?" Xianghua asked.

"No. My mother died giving birth to me. Well, at least in this life time." Link explained.

"Sorry." She said after a moment.

"My mom died when I was young." She said with a sigh.

"And your father?"

"I didn't ever really meet him." She admitted.

"My father died…when he went to war. I think I had lived at least seven years after my birth." He explained.

"I was seven when my mom died too." She said calmly. Link smiled quietly.

"Link, can I ask you something?" XIanghua asked.

"Hm?"

"Will you…miss me-us when you leave?" she asked quickly correcting herself. Link looked over at her, seeing her blush.

"Of course I will," he said reaching for her cheek. Tears swelled in her eyes as he ran his thumb over her skin. Xianghua closed her eyes silently. Link caught her tear with his thumb and moved closer to her. Xianghua rolled onto her side and held his other hand, studying the triforce symbol on the back of his palm as he spread the tear on her bottom lip. She tasted the salt as she stroked his hand.

"Xianghua." Link said softly. Xianghua looked into his wild sapphire eyes and quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry!" Link said as he quickly sat up. Xianghua shook her head and crossed the bridge that was attached to the arena. Link rested his head in his hands before lying down on the floor again.

"_Hey you."_ A voice said cheerfully. Link listened. That voice was familiar…

_"I saw that. You're flirting with that girl!"_

"…Midna?"

_"Don't get me wrong, she's hotter than the farm girl."_ She giggled.

"Shut up."

_"You know I'm kidding. And incase your wondering, I'm using the souls of this world to communicate."_ She added.

"How are you?" he asked staring up at the souls that were still floating around.

_"Bored."_

"Figures." He chuckled. He heard her giggle.

_"I have a message from Zelda."_

"What is it?"

_"She's had dreams every night about you since you left. She can't have premonitions about you anymore."_

"Is that bad?" Midna giggled.

_"Of course it is! That means that there's a chance that you may choose to stay in this world."_ Link frowned.

"Stay in this world? Is it because of Xianghua?"

_"No. It's something else. Maybe you die here, or you have a different reason. It's not her though, Zelda can't sense Soul calibur being mixed in with the reason."_ She explained. Link frowned.

"No, I'm coming home after this." Link said sternly.

_"Right. What ever you choose, don't feel bad about it. Well, my magic's running out. See ya!"_ Her voice faded only a few seconds after that. Link looked away from the souls quietly and watched the sun set. He had to leave this world…he didn't belong here.

That's it!! R&R!!


	26. A family

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Finally, it's time to start closing up!! WE HAVE A BIT MORE, but we're almost finally done with part 1!! Enjoy!!

Ch. 26

Link silently sat on the edge of the arena with the ocarina of time in his hands. He silently put it to his lips and felt the magic within it pulse. Millions of songs of the past lives he had played into it rung in his ears. He selected the first one that came to mind. The sound of it echoed in the cave walls. The rest were upstairs, other than Raphael and Sophitia. He didn't know where they were, but he could hear them for a moment. It was an easy guess as to what they were doing, but he decided that he wouldn't get himself involved. Link pushed it from his mind and played the second verse of the song of healing. It was weak, but he could feel the pain from the cuts and bruises on his arms melt away. There wasn't enough magic in the air however, so that was all it could heal.

--

Mitsurugi was seated on the top row of the benches with his porcelain bottle. He leaned back against the wall before drinking the cool water from the bottle.

"I'm half expected it to be saki." Taki said as she passed him on her way down the steps.

"Don't leave yet. I want to ask you something." Mitsurugi said looking down at her. Taki turned, giving him an impatient glare.

"Why are you assisting them?" he asked calmly. Taki sighed, probably thinking she was wasting her time explaining it.

"I want to see that cursed blade fall. Not fight a strong opponent like some people I know." She said rudely. Mitsurugi turned the bottle in his hand deep in thought.

"Would you look at that? We actually had a conversation without a blade at the throat." She said sarcastically. Mitsurugi just grunted in reply.

"You're wasting my time, where is Sophitia?" she asked.

"With Raphael." He said calmly.

"And where are they?" Mitsurugi didn't answer. Taki's glare softened.

"Never mind." She replied. The two were silent then, listening to Link play a different song.

"What will you do after Nightmare is defeated?" Taki asked. Mitsurugi tapped the rim of his bottle with his thumb.

"Wander." He replied.

"I suppose that would be the only thing left to do." She said as she sat on one of the benches.

"You?" he asked calmly. Taki didn't answer. She could tell it was strange for him too. Normally their conversations only consisted of how they wanted to be killed, but then it would end in a draw (or she would just leave claiming she was busy.). This was different. She would normally be uneasy because she didn't have her blades, and his katana was lying on the bench directly next to him, even though the handle was directly next to his leg, it didn't look like he was going to make an effort to reach for it.

"I haven't decided yet." She admitted. The two fell silent again. Mitsurugi watched her for a moment before looking over at Link. He was now playing a different song. His eyes fell upon the bandages wrapped around Link's right shoulder. Link was small…he was obviously stronger than he looked, but he looked so fragile. Mitsurugi grunted. It was the Hylian's fault if he got himself killed. Why should he worry about any of them?

"How is your shoulder?" he heard Taki ask.

"It's fine." He said rudely.

"Clearly." She said studying the swollen cuts. Mitsurugi grinned.

"Are you worrying about me?" he chuckled. Taki glared.

"I just don't want you to slow us down." She said sternly as she stood.

"Oh, by the way," Taki said as she stopped. She pulled out a small black velvet case filled with rice. Mitsurugi's grin turned to a glare.

"I'll be using these to make saki tonight. I hope you don't mind." She said grinning.

"You had nothing else to do than look through my things?" he asked before drinking from his bottle.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. The rice you had will make it easy. Too bad the liquor is a cheap kind." She said examining the small bottle.

"Cur." He muttered. Taki walked down the steps with the stolen ingredients in her hand.

(A/N: LOL!! Sorry, but hey, they have to have some fights right? Sorry for OOCnes!!)

--

Talim sat across the entire cave from where Mitsurugi and Taki were sitting. Mitsurugi was still there, drinking from the bottle, and Taki disappeared into one of the many doorways. She sighed exasperatedly. They were fighting again. Her eyes traveled to Link who was still in the same place, playing another song. Obviously he couldn't find a way to entertain himself either. Xianghua was in the room behind where she sat, talking to Soul calibur. She had been in there for hours, learning how to wield it. Talim didn't try to understand what they were saying.

"Wow…!" she sighed. She was in awe of the song Link had just finished playing. She looked around quietly, but couldn't see Raphael and Sophitia. Where were they? When she asked Mitsurugi, he told her to just wait until they appeared. He had also told her not to go looking for them. She wondered why. Talim didn't bother trying to find the answer, knowing someone would probably tell her later. Talim looked back over a Link and frowned; the bandages were usually present on his body, ever sense they left Egypt. She silently wrapped her arms around her legs and sighed exasperatedly. Her eyes traveled to Mitsurugi again. Even he had wounds from Soul edge. Taki did too, on her arm. Link had them along his left ribs and his heart, Sophitia had them around her belly and below her breasts, Raphael had them on his left shoulder, and Xianghua had them on the side of her neck. But she didn't have any, because she never fought against Nightmare once or Cervantes for that matter. Talim bit her lip. She was the one who always had to be protected…she was too afraid to fight anyone…she knew very well, that she was weak the weakest out of all of them. Talim forced back her tears. She never took any opportunities she had in the past to be brave. She knew she was always slowing them down. Everyone was just too kind to admit to it. Talim whipped away her tears when she heard Link stop playing.

"Something wrong?" she heard Mitsurugi call to him. Link didn't respond. It looked as though he were listening to something. Talim strained her ears, but obviously he could hear what they couldn't. Then he resumed playing, only now he was playing louder than before. Mitsurugi grunted and laid back again. Talim looked over at Taki who was seated a few feet away from Link, only just now noticing that she was there.

"What is it you are doing Miss Taki?" she called.

"I'm making some Saki." She called back.

"Yes, thefted saki." Mitsurugi said calmly. Talim sighed.

"Would you like to help cook the meat?" Taki called. Talim frowned. Was that all she was good for? Healing and cooking? Talim nodded quietly and walked down the steps that lead towards the bridge to the arena.

--

Raphael silently opened his eyes, seeing Sophitia was still asleep. They were lying in another room that was attached to the room where Sophitia was bathing. The soft furs that were used as the mattress brushed against his bare skin. The tips of his hair were plastered to his sweaty skin. It was the same for her as well. Raphael kissed her forehead gently and continued to stroke her belly, soothing the pain of her wounds. The blotches and cuts could have been mistaken for some kind of disease by the way they were dotted on her skin. Raphael looked away from the blotches and sighed quietly as he pulled the blanket he had pack over Sophitia. He gently removed her arm from over his rib and grabbed his clothing. He dressed as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake her up. He felt the bruises on the back of her arms and the back of his neck from the suction of her teeth and lips against his skin. He next reached for his shirt and silently pulled it on and listened for the others. He wasn't sure if they knew at all, but he knew he would have to get a story when they asked why he and Sophitia were gone so long. The truth was definitely going to act against him. He ignored the fact and glanced at Sophitia with a small smile before walking out of the room.

--

Link stopped playing at the sound of thunder clapping. He looked up, watching the rain suddenly begin to fall. His eyes widened. He had just played the song of storms…He knew there was barely any magic in this world's atmosphere, but he didn't realize that there was that much.

"Now I understand. That instrument can manipulate things as such." Taki said calmly. Link nodded. They all fell silent at the sound of a door closing, then a second one closed. Xianghua was the first to appear, looking exhausted. Raphael appeared later, just now replacing his gloves on his hands.

"Do not ask." Taki said calmly. Talim looked at her and frowned.

"Where's Sophitia?" Xianghua asked as she walked down the steps.

"Resting. Her wounds were causing her pain." Raphael replied. Just by looking at Raphael gave her the entire story. She didn't say another word until she reached the arena.

"How did it go?" Taki asked.

"Fine. I get how to control Soul calibur, but that's just mentally." She explained.

"Mentally?" Talim repeated. Xianghua nodded.

"You look tired." Link said calmly. Xianghua smiled slightly.

"I think…" she paused when she heard another door open. This time Sophitia walked out in a simple and short white dress. It buttoned on her shoulder and at the bottom of the skirt that hung a few inches above her knees. The wool it was made from made it look warm and comfortable.

"Forgive me." She said quietly as she crossed the bridge. Raphael and Sophitia didn't make eye contact as she sat down next to him. Xianghua looked away from them, staring at the flames silently. She listened to Mitsurugi calmly walk over, pouring the rest of his water out into the lake.

"I'm ready." She finished her sentence after Mitsurugi sat down on the opposite side of Link. They all looked at her, trying to make sure she was sure of what she was saying. She looked sure of herself.

"Alright, then I say tonight we celebrate." Raphael said suddenly. Link smiled quietly. Leave it to him to try to cheer everything up if Xianghua couldn't.

"There's a plan, get drunk and leave in the morning with head aches." Mitsurugi chuckled nodding to the bubbling saki. That surprised all of them.

"Exactly." Raphael said as Taki handed him one of the seven stone mugs they had found in the storage rooms.

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to destroy Taki yet." Link said taking his mug.

"It's the drunkard samurai's excuse for being able to drink." She said grinning.

"This one time." He said taking a mug. Link watched them quietly. Were they actually…befriending each other?

"If you wish to drink something else, I could always make you something, Talim." Sophitia said kindly. Talim shook her head.

"It is alright. I am an adult after all." She said taking a mug. Sophitia smiled. Link grinned.

"I thought you said you didn't like the taste." He said calmly. Talim ignored him and took a sip of it, not being able to force back making a face from the strong liquor. They all laughed.

"Yeah that was convincing." XIanghua said smiling. Talim blushed as she took another small sip.

The seven sat there that night, within the cave, and under the stars as the rain finally came to a stop. For the first time, sense his journey began, Link could feel the peace each of them felt between each other, even Taki and Mitsurugi. It was as though, for only this one moment, Soul edge, Nightmare and anything else they would be worried about was so unimportant. They laughed together, taking turns to speak of their childhoods. Without even knowing it, and unintentionally, they had created something…they had created, a family.

That's it!! ALMOST DONE WITH PART 1!! R&R!!


	27. The Priestess's Courage

Hi peeps!! Part one is coming to an end VERY soon!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 27

The sun sluggishly lifted over the horizon, lighting the lake down below. The sunlight leaked through the cave entrance, illuminating the rock walls. The golden doorways glinted in the morning sun. Xianghua lazily opened her eyes and stretched her stiff body. She saw Sophitia and Talim were gone. She looked around silently but didn't see Taki anywhere either. She shrugged and rolled onto her stomach and silently looked over at Soul calibur. Soul calibur glinted in the room from the little sunlight that struck its blade. Xianghua smiled quietly at it, seeing the tiny eye on the ball with the wings attach look back at her as if waiting for a command. She looked away and relaxed again. The song was soothing, but it sounded sad though…sad and…reassuring… She wondered if the only reason he was playing it was so that they could stay calm. Xianghua frowned. She had gained control over Soul calibur, so today was the day that they would go fight Nightmare. She sighed exasperatedly and silently climbed out of bed, reaching for Soul calibur.

--

"Where are Raphael, Mitsurugi and Taki?" Talim asked looking around for them.

"They went on ahead." Link said as he stopped playing.

"Without us?" Xianghua asked annoyed.

"We should get going after you've eaten Xianghua." Link said holding out a stick with a cooked fish on the opposite end. Xianghua silently took it and quickly began to eat it.

"Why did they go on without us?" Sophitia asked slowly.

"They wanted to clear the path of any monsters so that we could easily get through." Link explained.

"They have found Nightmare?" Talim asked shocked. Link nodded. It only took a few minutes before Xianghua was finished and ready to go.

"Very well, let us go and-" Sophitia's voice cut off. She suddenly screamed from the pain that shot through her wounds and fell to her knees.

"Mrs. Sophitia!" Talim gasped. Link and Xianghua were in pain as well. What was causing it? They didn't have the shards of soul edge! Talim received her answer when she spotted a giant floating eye flying through the entrance of the cave. It looked like floating brown bones floated behind it all in eight separate lines, giving it the appearance of a spider with its legs spread out underneath. The eye…it was Soul edge's eye! Red lightning bolts surged around the surface of the blood red tissue of the eye. They all watched as it floated to the center of the arena, its gaze was locked on Link. The bones revolving around it formed into a skeletal body around it, leaving the eye in its stomach.

"I-It's Soul edge…!" Sophitia gasped. Talim trembled as the eye fell upon her curiously. It didn't say a word, or make a single noise, but it was obvious what it was thinking and what its intentions were; Why Talim wasn't paralyzed like the others, and obviously Soul edge had sent it here in order to deliver Link to it. Soul edge took the opportunity without fail. Xianghua was the first to force herself to her feet, (with the help of Soul calibur) and charged at it. The monster calmly lifted its hand, standing in the exact same battle stance as Xianghua as a bone shaped sword formed from its palm. It was shaped exactly like Soul calibur. Just as Xianghua began to close the distance, the bone sword gained the exact same color of Soul calibur, it even glowed the exact same way. The only difference was that the eye of Soul edge was on it and it had large red wings on either side. Xianghua's eyes widened. The monster pulled back the evil Soul calibur exactly how she would and easily blocked her, then laid it's bony hand on her rib sending bolts of red lightning into her body. Xianghua screamed from the pain. Soul calibur fought back at the aura until Xianghua dropped it completely.

Next Link forced himself to his feet and dove, rolling around the monster with his master sword in hand and leaped up from the ground bringing his blade towards the eye. The monster backed up, grabbing the master sword by its blade but not completely avoiding the attack. It winced in pain, with the lack of the ability to blink and looked up at him. If it had eyelids it would probably be glaring. Link watched as smoke rose from the long cut along side its eye and from the bony hand. The creature released him abruptly and grabbed its evil soul calibur, changing it once again. Link fell to his knees, still wincing in pain from the evil aura that flowed from the monster's body, and watched in horror as the evil soul calibur turned into the master sword. It wasn't possible! Link watched in horror as veins grew from the creature's wrist and wrapped around its master sword. Its other arm formed a Hylian shield, thin it too was covered in veins and grotesque organs. It stepped towards him with its master sword raised. Link lifted his master sword defensively, the two blades locked; Something unexpected happened. The master sword's bright blue light suddenly turned bright gold. Light even fell from the blade. They all stared at it, even the creature. It was the same power from the Twilight Realm…! The triforce shone brightly on the back of his palm, almost blinding. The creature backed from the light as the shield melted back into the bones that formed its arm. A large red ball of aura formed in its lifted hand. It launched it at Link and charged with the master sword as the shield again formed. Link was ready. He instantly swung the master sword at the aura and bounced it back. The creature dodged it and grabbed Link by his neck, lifting him high up into the air. Link let his shield fall, using that free hand to grab the bony wrist and thrust the blade towards the creature. The creature's aura bounced the master sword back, forcing it from Link's hand. Link let out a cry of pain. His entire body was on fire.

"Link no!" Talim screamed from where she stood. Xianghua crawled towards Soul calibur, but with every movement, the aura on her increased.

"Repent!" Sophitia screamed as she thrust her sword through the back of the eye. The aura caked over the surface of it's body prevented the blade enough to only receive a small cut. It's eye turned without the body having to and shifted it's eye slightly, commanding its aura to force her to the ground. Its eye glanced at Talim before returning to Link. Link's energy was draining fast. Talim stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. Her blades were in her hands but…could she really fight this thing? She had to…! Talim swallowed and lifted her blades, crouching down into a battle stance.

"Please release him!" she yelled.

"Talim…run away…!" Xianghua called. Talim ignored her and charged foreword. The eye looked over at her without releasing Link and launched a portion of its aura at her. Talim received the hit and fell back letting out a cry of pain. The pain didn't last long however. She got back up and charged again. The eye's skeletal body turned this time, lowering Link slightly and used its hand with the shield to form into the evil soul calibur. It skillfully knocked one of Talim's blades out of her hand and shoved the back of the handle into the side of her rib. Talim fell back with a grunt of pain and curled into a ball.

"…Talim…you must run away from here…!" Sophitia urged. Tears rolled from Talim's eyes. Of all times to be afraid and useless, why did it have to be now? When Soul edge was about to win? She was the only one who could do something…if maybe just once…just one time that she would come through…Everyone else practically risked their lives, and constantly had to save her. Why had she chosen just to sit around and regret it? Talim looked up as more tears rolled, seeing the horrible pain Link was suffering. Her eyed drifted to Loka Luha that lay abandoned on the ground a few feet away from her. Something inside her ignited in flame. Her tears stopped. She snatched Loka Luha and adjusted both Syi Salika and Loka Luha and crouched in her battle position. She felt as though she had been engulfed in flames, her heart sped with determination.

"You foul creature! Release him!" she yelled furiously. Sophitia and Xianghua stared at her in shock. The eye gazed over at her.

"Release him and fight me!" she yelled. There was a glimmer in the eye, probably a mocking one at that. It slowly put Link down on the ground and readied its evil soul calibur. Link watched as he continued to wince in pain.

"Talim…" he muttered. The creature stepped towards Talim and crouched into Xiangua's battle position. Link's eyes scanned around for the master sword. He saw it and began to drag himself towards it. The aura reacted immediately, making his body extremely heavy. He could see Xianghua in the corner of his eye, she was having the same difficulty.

Talim took a deep breath and glared.

"Strike!" she yelled as she lunged forward with Loka Luha extended. The creature lifted its evil Soul calibur defensively. It's pupil shrunk when Talim locked her left palm and Syi Salika on either side of the thin blade and brought Loka Luha to its pupil. The blade sliced from the outer cornea, and through the iris before it kicked Talim back. Talim rolled when she hit the ground and quickly shot to her feet. Her body ached, but she wouldn't dare give in yet. The creature stumbled back slightly and gazed at Talim again. It's pupil again shrunk when Talim repeated. Only this time it was ready, or so it thought. Talim suddenly locked her hands around her blades, making them run along the side of her arms and locked her arms around its leg. The creature pulled back at first, but she was determined to get her way. Talim heaved its leg stubbornly, making it come to its ankle and flipped her two blades.

"Go..." she began as she flipped her blades and brought them once across the creature's eye leaving behind an X that joined over the pupil. Then Talim spun around, flipping her blades and leaping into the air, twirling around and bringing her arms together as if she were holding something long and heavy.

"Away!" she yelled as she sliced the eye in half. The monster spewed blood in all directions as its pieces fell into the water and the eye itself rolled into the water. The water was thrown high into the air as the aura dissolved. Talim stared at the water. Determination sill burned in her eyes, she wasn't afraid of the blood that dripped from her, or the murder she had just committed. She was ready. Sophitia, Link and Xianghua gasped for air as the pain left them.

"…Talim…!" Sophitia gasped in between gasps. Link and Xianghua stared, not being able to say anything. Talim looked over at them.

"I sense Soul edge's powers only increasing. It has sent out a powerful monster to attack our friends. We should hurry." She explained. Link nodded and grabbed the master sword. Xianghua grabbed Soul calibur and got up to her feet.

"We must hurry!" Sophitia urged as she gathered herself. The three ran for the docs without looking back to where the monster had fallen.

That's it!! I swear I will finish part one by Monday!! R&R!!


	28. Battles of Flames and demons

Hi peeps

Hi peeps!! Here comes the BEGINNING ON THE END OF PART UNO!!

END!!

Ch. 28

The village was in flames. They quickly ran past the souls that floated around frantically. They could hear a loud roaring as they continued. That's where Raphael, Taki and Mitsurugi would be. They skidded to a stop when a huge wall of red aura rose from what looked like a temple in the cliffs. It shot out into the sky and formed an enormous dome around them. The morning sky became black, the clouds stopped in their sluggish advance. It looked like red bolts of lightning were surging through them and the entire dome. The lake nearby became nothing but dirt, depriving them of any water. The village became nothing but a barren wasteland.

"We cannot stop now!" Sophitia said sternly.

"We have Soul calibur! We can do this!" Xianghua urged. The four ran through the wasteland, determined to take down Soul edge and Nightmare.

--

Raphael dodged the monster's swing and skillfully waved its rapier at the skeletal monster that was engulfed in flames. Taki made fast movements with her hands and instantly pulled them back.

"Raphael!" she called. Raphael dove out of the way as a dark purple aura formed from Taki's hand.

"Evil, be gone!" she yelled. A huge ball of flames appeared from her hands and knocked the creature back for a moment. Mitsurugi charged foreword next, bringing his blade up, and then slicing it down in three steps. The creature took the hits and backed up. With every hit, more flames fell from its body. Xianghua stared at its weapon. It had the same evil soul calibur!

"Xianghua!" Taki called. Xianghua lunged foreword, locking blades with the monster.

"Eat this here's another!" she yelled as she spun her blade. The monster took the hit but didn't go down. It back and suddenly absorbed the flames that had scattered on the ground, and then roared again.

"How does this creature only get stronger?" Talim asked.

"This is the second time that this creature does it!" Taki replied. Sophitia lunged foreword next, bringing her sword high up into the air and then spinning around with a kick. The flames on its body torched the bottom of her foot, but the flame disappeared the instant it touched the ground. It roared furiously and swung the evil Soul calibur at her exactly like Xianghua would. Sophitia blocked it and backed as Link lunged foreword and performed a huge spin attack. The monster flew back and hit the ground. Only seconds later, it forced itself back up on its feet, looking unharmed. Link switched to his bow and arrow and pointed it first at the creature, then spotted some barrels above it from one of the destroyed houses. He instantly pointed it at the barrels behind it and watched water pour out from both of the barrels. The creature screeched in agony as its flames distinguished. Talim came next, leaping over it and bringing her blades down on its skull.

"Hit!" she yelled as she struck the skull. She landed on the other side of it and quickly made space between them. It roared again but this time flames erupted from its own body, sending seven walls of flames. They all dodged the walls and found themselves separated from each other. All but two walls faded, keeping Link Separated from the rest.

"Link!" Raphael called as he ran to the remaining section of the wall that still had yet to burn. Link lay on the ground unconscious. Dark purple flames were surrounding him fast. Just as Raphael prepared to dive for him, the monster shot a large amount of flames at him, knocking him back.

"Raphael!" Sophitia called. Raphael hit the side of a building and fell to the floor. Strangely enough, the flames that hit him were not burning his flesh. His eyes darted to Link, seeing the flames fully engulf him then fade away leaving nothing but the burnt ground.

"_Soul edge has taken the Hylian…he will attempt to devour his soul and take the triforce of courage…there is no time, yes?"_ Soul calibur explained.

"Damn it! What the hell are we going to do now?" Xianghua asked annoyed. Mitsurugi dove past the creature and took one of the barrels Link shot down, seeing it still had enough water. He lifted the barrel, splashing water over him and ran towards the wall of flames.

"Mitsurugi don't!" Taki yelled.

"Nightmare is there in the church!" Mitsurugi yelled back.

"YOU SELFISH CUR!" she screamed.

"I'm going for Link, not for Nightmare!" he called back before diving through the flames. Raphael instantly shot to his feet and charged at the creature, stabbing it through its ribs so it couldn't follow after Mitsurugi. It screeched in pain and kicked Raphael back. Raphael rolled when he hit the ground and quickly grabbed Flambert. His eyes flew to the creature when it placed its foot onto the side of his blade. Then, Sophitia's sword came through the back of its ribs. Raphael kicked it, bringing Sophitia's blade further out. The creature again let out an ear splitting screech and sent flames in all directions, knocking them all back.

--

Misturugi glanced back at the battle behind him as he charged up the path to the cathedral. He wasn't someone like Taki or Sophitia. He couldn't sense things, but he could _feel_ Link's pain. He would get his fight with Nightmare very soon. Mitsurugi grinned. Hopefully the others could catch up quickly and take Link before he finished Nightmare off. Only a few more minutes later and he was already running up the stairs of the cathedral. A large red aura came from the roof, bleeding small bolts of electricity along the walls. The fragments of soul edge reacted. He was close. Mitsurugi's hand wrapped tightly around his Katana; pushing it out slightly with his thumb as he ran up another flight of stairs. His heart race, the adrenaline spread. He was ready.

--

Link held Nightmare's wrist, struggling to remove the large deformed hand from around his neck, his legs dangled above the ground. Nightmare's eyes were glowing brighter than he had ever seen before. Power surged through the deformed arm and into his body. The pain was unbearable.

"_SOON YOU WILL BELNG TO ME! CAN YOU FEEL IT LINK? YOUR EXISTENCE WILL SOON EXPIRE, AND THE TRIFORCE OF COURAGE WILL BE MINE TO CONTROL!"_ Link glared at Nightmare. Soul edge had some how moved itself into Nightmare's body. The triforce on his left hand shone brightly, almost piercing the darkness this land was now engulfed in. The aura engulfed Link's left arm and surrounded the triforce on the back of his palm, and crawled up the left side of his neck and even onto his face.

_"PIECE BY PIECE I SHALL HAVE YOU!"_ Soul edge said grinning. Link struggled to keep any once of sanity. Desires to kill and cause mass destruction were pouring into his mind. He couldn't…he wouldn't…

_"YES LINK, LET THE DARKNESS LYE YOU INTO A DEEP AND PERMANENT SLUMBER. IS IT THE FEAR OF LONLYNESS?"_ Soul edge asked bringing Link closer to him and at the same time lowering him slightly. The master sword was below him, stabbed in the ground and still shining with its powerful golden light eager to help its master. Link glared at Nightmare and tightened his grip around the big deformed wrist.

"…_Goddesses…Sages…Zelda…or Midna…who ever can hear me…I will not survive this…help me or kill me before he can take me…don't make me suffer this ordeal of fire…"_ Link thought to himself.

The light of the triforce suddenly created a small barrier around it and shot in all directions, causing the aura to fall back. Soul edge laughed.

"What was that?" he laughed. Link stared at his left arm as a hardened brown shell formed all over it, mouths with fangs scattered all over it opened, small tongues eagerly whipped at the darkness in the air attempting to feed on it. Link's heart raced in his chest. It looked similar to Nightmare's arm, it even had the same structure. Here were only three long fingers on the arm and a large mouth with fangs inside of the mouth in the center of his palm. He couldn't see the triforce on his hand…so this was it…? Was he about to die and leave this world to be at this abomination's hand? Soul edge suddenly let out a cry of pain and released him from. Link fell back, but before he could hit solid ground a pair of arms caught him, locking around his chest. The extra weigh of his arm caused the person fall to their knees, but they were strong enough to lay him on the ground. Link looked up in the corner of his eye as he trembled from the flames in his body. His eye widened. Mitsurugi crouched into his battle position with his katana in hand and glared at Nightmare.

"I've waited some time for this, Nightmare. Fight me!" he said sternly.

"Mitsurugi…!" he gasped. His voice easily demonstrated the pain he was in. Mitsurugi frowned, not wanting to imagine the pain Link was in. It sent a chill up and down his spine whenever he looked Link's appearance.

"Get out of my way you cur!" Nightmare said as he lunged foreword. At the last minute, Link noticed Soul edge's eye re-open. It must have switched back to its former body. Link's eye flashed to the master sword that lay only two feet away. It was as though it were reaching out to him as if it hold his hand and bring itself to him. Link painfully dragged himself to it and grabbed the handle. Its aura flashed into his body, keeping the deformed arm from draining anymore of its light. Link stepped around Mitsurugi and stabbed the master sword into his stomach, underneath the breastplate. Golden aura flowed from the master sword, traveling up Nighmare's arm and attacking Soul edge head on. The eye showed its extreme pain. Mitsurugi watched Nightmare lift his arm, ready to hit Link back. Mitsurugi instantly locked an arm around Link's waste and locked his other hand over Link's that was already locked around the master sword and pulled them both back, barely escaping Nightmare's deformed arm. Mitsurugi landed easily on his feet and kept an arm around him as he grabbed his katana.

"There are three flights of stairs through the doors to your right. Or you can jump down to the lower path to your left. Leave." He explained as he stepped foreword.

"Mitsurugi…Don't-"

"This is my fight!" Mitsurugi said confidently. Mitsurugi watched Nightmare breath heavily. He calmly walked foreword as Nightmare mistakenly backed to the wall for support, leaving Soul edge defenseless. Mitsurugi grabbed it by the hilt and lifted the large sword. The sword instantly reshaped into a katana, with a large mouth on the side of the blade.

"Damn you Mitsurugi! Give it back you cur!" Nightmare yelled furiously. Mitsurugi felt the enormous power flowing through him as she studied the blade, deciding if he liked it or not. When he held Soul calibur, it felt more comforting with an equal amount of the same power. This was only power though. Mitsurugi's face darkened. Something inside of him changed.

"Mitsurugi…let it go…" he heard Link call weakly. Mitsurugi blinked. He grunted and tossed it back to Nightmare.

"Mitsurugi!" Link called with a slight burst of energy.

"If we fight, I want it to be fair." The cockiness in his voice was gone…Link stared. What happened to him just now? Was it that easy for him to release Soul edge?

"A fair fight? You stupid cur! I have no time for this!" Nightmare yelled as Soul edge reshaped. The eye glanced around once it reformed looking confused, but then stared at Link.

_"YOU STUPID CUR, NIGHTMARE! IGNORE THIS FOOL AND GET LINK BEFORE HE ESCAPES!"_ Mitsurugi herd the voice from Soul calibur as well. Link's eyes widened.

"Nightmare don't you ignore me!" Mitsurugi yelled. Even Nightmare was surprised at how furious he sounded.

"I swear I will destroy you if you take one step closer to him!" he said holding his Katana ready. Link stared at Mitsurugi. What _had_ happened to him? The look in his eyes had changed. The desire to fight Nightmare had changed…they no longer burst with desire, but determination. It wasn't the determination to fight either. More like…the determination to protect. Link held the master sword in his right hand and crawled to the hole in the wall to his left.

"No!" Nightmare yelled. Mitsurugi moved in the way and glared. Link glanced at them before looking down at the bridge below, it wasn't far and he could make it. He instantly threw himself out of the hole and stabbed the master sword into the wall. Sparks flew from it as it slid down the side. Once Link landed on his feet, he grabbed the master sword and fell to his knees. He would have to drag himself until he had more energy.

--

"ARGH!" Nightmare screamed. A huge circular aura surrounded the ground around Nightmare's feet and flew in all directions, causing Mitsurugi to fall back on his butt.

"Childish." Mitsurugi scoffed as he dusted off his pants from where he sat. He glared up at Nightmare resting his elbow on his knee.

"Link escapes and you throw a tantrum." He criticized.

"How _dare_ you?" Nightmare demanded as he lunged foreword. Mitsurugi calmly stood, dusting off his pants again and swiftly swung his katana. They locked blades, but because Soul edge was large the impact was in Nightmare's favor. Nightmare used his demonic arm and punched Mitsurugi in the face. Mitsurugi fell back but quickly rolled away from Soul edge as it smashed into the ground where he lay and stabbed the exact same place where Link had. Nightmare screamed in pain and backed up. Mitsurugi slowly got up, feeling the aura from Soul edge in his body making his joints heavy. His left eye was forced closed by the blood that escaped. The skin around it was a deep purple.

"I have no time for you cur!" Nightmare yelled. Mitsurugi spit blood from his mouth.

"Deal with it." He said lunging again.

--

Taki dodged another attack from the creature and glanced up at the cathedral. Something was wrong…

"Raphael!" she called. Raphael looked over at her and nodded. Taki instantly lunged foreword with her swords ready. Raphael ran past Taki then snatched the last remaining barrel of water, spilling it all over him. Seconds later, he too dove through the wall of fire and charged up the path to the cathedral.

"Xianghua, Talim, Sophitia! We have to buy more time!" Taki commanded.

"I have Soul calibur! I should have gone!" Xianghua argued.

"Don't question me! Those three will be enough to weaken him! Have patience!" Taki said sternly. Xianghua growled as the creature roared again. Xianghua had enough. She lunged foreword.

"Here…we go!" she yelled as she stabbed the sword through its stomach. The creature screeched in agony and slid off of the blade. Seconds later, it exploded into millions of small flames. It was over.

"To the cathedral!" Taki commanded. The four charged up the path after Raphael and stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the cathedral explode. They sensed something that caused shock to envelop their minds. Mitsurugi's soul was fading fast.

"I will go on ahead!" taki said quickly before leaping high into the air and disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Xianghua bit her lip. What about Link? Things were bad…she had to defeat Nightmare, now!

That's it!! ALMOST DONE!! R&R!!


	29. The Long Forgotten Night Named Siegfried

Hi peeps!! Way too inspired right now!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 29

Link leaned against the wall of the bridge as he continued to make his way away from the cathedral. He had already made a huge amount of distance, but was never going to be far enough away from Soul edge. He saw another flight of stairs and slowly began to climb. The master sword's aura soothed him to its greatest ability. He felt lighter, but that didn't replace the loss of energy. Once he reached the top, he came to a dead end. A long room with stained glass window lay before him. The roof had been torn off, and the stained glass windows left in incomplete designs. Link's eyes fell upon his reflection in one of the stained glass windows. His eyes widened. The arm looked so similar to that of Nightmares…and the left side of his face had also changed. The skin was the same as the arm, the same brown stone…his eye was what he had been staring at the entire time. His left eye was glowing dark red. Its iris was blood red with a gold fire burst glow, exactly like Nightmare's. He froze when he heard the pounding of metal against metal. It was coming towards him fast. It was Nightmare… Link reached for the wall and slid along it. He would have to make his stand here, but not with this arm…Link glanced at his reflection, listening to Nightmare's footsteps. He was running now. Link's eyes traveled to the master sword. He had an idea. He slowly took it within both arms and help it over the joint of his left arm.

"Save me…" he said as a tear escaped his right eye. The master sword glowed in response, as if reassuring him. Link stabbed the blade through his shoulder and winced in pain as the aura of the master sword began to work.

--

Nightmare ran across the bridge clumsily. His stomach was releasing a dangerous amount of blood. He stopped, dropping Soul edge and holding his head in pain. Soul edge's eye stared up at Nightmare with a look of pure panic.

"Damn…you!" Nightmare growled.

_"What's the matter you overgrown abomination?"_ a voice asked from within its head.

_"THIS CANNOT BE!"_ Soul edge screamed.

_"It is. You cannot contain me much longer." _The voice said calmly. Nightmare growled.

"Return to your slumber you cur!" Nightmare yelled. The voice chuckled.

_"Your end is near, what a pity that you will not recognize it."_

"You will _not_ return you bastard!" Nightmare yelled.

_"Be ready, for I will kill you when the time comes!"_ Nightmare ignored the voice and grabbed Soul edge before charging after Link.

--

Link pulled the master sword out of his shoulder, surprised to see that not a drop of blood, other than nightmare's was on it. None of Nightmare's blood had even mixed with his. Link looked up quickly at a cracking sound. Then suddenly, a section of the brown skin flaked off and fell to the ground, then another. Then in one wave it completely flaked off, leavinf behind nothing but sand and his regular arm with the triforce of courage shining bright. Link heard Nightmare coming up the stairs and sighed exasperatedly as he stood.

"So there you-" Nightmare's voice cut off when he saw the sand that was once the arm. Link was leaning against the wall opposite of him.

_"NO MATTER LINK, YOU ARE MUCH WEAKER THAN YOU WERE THEN. THINGS WILL ONLY BE FASTER!"_ Soul edge yelled. Nightmare charged foreword and grabbed Link by the neck again. Link cut the side of Nightmare's arm open and fell to the ground. He quickly rolled away from Soul edge as Nightmare swung it at him and grabbed something from underneath the cloth wrap. He held the tiny ball of iron and pressed it before tossing it. The iron ball expanded in mid air into a large ball attached to a chain. Link yanked it high into the air, swinging it and launching it at Nightmare. Nightmare flew back, crashing into the wall as Soul edge spun away from it in mid air and stabbed into the ground. Link yanked the ball and chain back and tightened his grip on the chain. The bad shrank again. If Midna hadn't used her magic on it, he didn't know how he was going to bring it with him, he didn't even realize he would have a use of it. Link put the ball and chain away and grabbed his master sword, holding his rib in pain and limping over to Soul edge. Soul edge glanced around quickly for its wielder. Link also looked in the direction, seeing Nightmare clutching his head again. He didn't care what was going on in Nightmare's head. He was going to finish this. Soul edge's eye suddenly locked on him and glared.

_"I __WILL__ HAVE YOU!"_ it yelled determined. A huge tentacle sprouted from the handle and whipped Link back. The whip burned Link's skin. Link cried out in pain. The arm was beginning to form again. Ling frantically reached for the handle of his master sword as the arm began to reform. Just as his middle finger touched it, the arm grabbed him by his neck. Link snatched the master sword and stabbed his own wrist. Again the arm disappeared, and left behind his regular arm. Unfortunately that was all the master sword could do for now.

"You bastard!" Link growled. Nightmare laughed as he walked over.

"Damn fool! He will never re-awaken! Nightmare laughed as hi lifted Soul edge and stabbed it into the ground behind him without taking off his normal hand. Nightmare cast his shadow down on Link as he reached for his neck. Link couldn't hide his confusion. Who was he talking about? Just as Nightmare wrapped his fingers around Link's neck, he thrust the master sword at Nightmare's arm. Link felt the aura increase that again attempted to invade his body. The aura had created a thin wall around the spot where Link was trying to stab him.

"This will be your end!" Nightmare hissed. Link's eyes widened when for only a second Nightmare's eyes turned a soft blue, then reverted. Nightmare suddenly roared in pain and again dropped Link. Link fell to the ground and forced himself to roll onto his stomach. A pair of arms locked around him and helped him sit back against the wall.

"…Raphael…?" Link said in between breaths. Raphael turned back to see Nightmare struggling to try to get to his feet, but was obviously having too much difficulty. He kept an arm around Link as he reached for Flambert and slowly released him as he stood.

"Damn you Raphael!" Nightmare hissed.

"You're pathetic!" Raphael said kicking Nightmare's helm. Nightmare growled as Raphael turned and began to walk back towards Link.

"Logically," he began as he stopped.

" You won't survive if this cursed sword is still alive." He said glaring. Nightmare's eyes widened. Link watched wide-eyed.

"You cursed fool! You won't do a thing to Soul edge! Soul calibur is the only one who can do a thin, and the wielder is nothing but a coward!" he yelled. Raphael glared.

"We'll see when she gets here." He said standing next to Soul edge at all times with the tip of Flambert inches away from the pupil. Nightmare growled.

"YOU WRETCHED CUR! Do you think I can be defeated so easily?" he demanded.

_"Yes, yes you can."_

"Silence damn you!" Nightmare said clutching his head. Link and Raphael watched him argue with himself, glancing at each other confused. Soul edge's eye was staring in horror at Nightmare. What was going on? Before an explanation could be found, Nightmare's eyes began to glow brighter.

_"THE HYLIAN IS MINE!"_ it was Soul edge's voice.

Raphael run!" Link yelled.

Raphael instantly stabbed Flambert through the eyelid and through the eye itself until it came out the other side. Both Soul edge and Nightmare screamed in pain. Aura flowed back from Nightmare's body to Soul edge's and sent huge red lightning bolts through Raphael's body. Raphael screamed in pain as he fell back and rolled a few times. Flambert rolled away from his hand.

"Raphael!" Link yelled. Just as he began to climb to his feet, an extremely loud cracking noise came from Nightmare. Link looked over at him, seeing light coming from the crack another crack formed, one that ran diagonally across his breastplate. Nightmare screamed in agony as the light became blinding. Link quickly shielded his eyes and listened. It was completely silent, other than the sound of metal scraping metal, but it wasn't as heavy anymore. The next words he heard Nightmare scream made Link look up at the battle in an instant.

"Damn you! _Damn you Siegfried!"_

There stood a tall man with long blonde hair that even hung over his face. He was dressed in pale white armor with pale reddish-orange feathers that stuck out over the iron shoulders. The light reflected off of his armor as though he were adorned in armor. Link studied the huge sword hanging on his back. It also shined in the red light of lightning bolts high above.

"I'm impressed." He said calmly. His voice was soft, but did sound more than strong. Link stared.

"I've never seen anyone make Nightmare look like a damn fool." He said calmly. Nightmare growled from where he stood. He grabbed Soul edge and charged.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU'RE GOING RIGHT BACK INSIDE ME!" he yelled. Siegfried calmly reached out and grabbed Nightmare by his neck, lifting him into the air and throwing him against the wall. It was disturbing to see Nightmare being thrown into the air and at a wall. Soul edge lay on its side, staring in horror. Siegfried silently looked down at Raphael who lay near his feet and calmly bent down next to him, picking up a small shard of Soul calibur.

"I will return this once I am finished." He said to Link. Link couldn't respond. He just watched as Siegfried Placed the shard on the blade of his sword. The shard sank into the blade, and coated it with what looked like blue ice. The pale blue eye of Soul calibur became a floating ball in the hook shaped indention that curved and became the handle. Three long sharp spikes grew out of the side of the handle, protecting Siegfried's hand. Nightmare was also shocked. Power flared from Soul calibur wildly as Sigfried walked towards Nightmare. Nightmare was on his knees, staring in horror. Siegfried held Soul calibur to Nightmare's neck.

"There is no more place in this world, for nightmares!" he said before decapitating the tyrant. Link stared at the helm flew off of it and rolled off of the edge of the floor. Wind began to gather towards the armor as the body inside turned into sand. Then the wind backfired, sending Soul edge's aura in all directions. A portion hit Link, crashing his head against the wall he sat against. Link fell to the side with his hand on the master sword. Just as his vision began to blur, he looked from Raphael to Siegfried who was kneeling down next to Soul edge. The last thing he saw was Siegfried stabbing Soul calibur into Soul edge's eye. It was over…

--

Siegfried watched as Soul edge frantically tried to remove Soul calibur with its tentacles, but Soul calibur only sent small circular barrier from its eye to repel it. His dark blue eyes traveled to Link who lay unconscious. He calmly stood and walked over to the Hylian and bent down next to him. He was still breathing. Siegfried studied all of the wounds that adorned his body as he carefully picked Link up off of the ground.

"So you were the one who used to be nightmare?" a voice said calmly. Saigfried turned in the direction and studied the odd creature that stood there. It looked like a mixture of an Owl and a man. He lifted up his claws, proving he wasn't going to fight him.

"I was re-awakened in the world by the power of the symbol on that Hylian's hand." He explained.

"Awakened?" Siegfried repeated.

"_He speaks the truth…yes?"_

"Why did his world send someone from ours?" Siegfried asked.

"_During the Hylian's battle, he prayed to his world for aid. I sensed that his world connected to ours and awakened someone from this world. One who has seen the golden country…comprehendable, yes?"_ Siegfried studied him again.

"My name is Olcadan. I was sent by the goddesses of his world, in order to train him." He explained.

_"Siegfried, it is not safe to remain here while I keep Soul edge at bay."_ Soul calibur explained. Siegried studied Soul calibur now. It had to constantly repel Soul edge as it continued to struggle.

"Very well." He said reluctantly as he handed Link over to Olcadan.

"Stay away from the proving grounds, if they're still called that. There is someone named Zasalamel who will attempt to take both swords." Olcadan explained. Siegfried nodded before walking over to both swords.

"What about him?" Sigfried asked motioning to Raphael.

"I can only care for one person." Olcadan said calmly.

"_Raphael Sorel. His mind is poisoned and I cannot heal him. He must over come it on his own…we must leave." _ Soul calibur explained. Siegfried frowned, watching the man barely breath where he lay.

"_At my current power I will not hold Soul edge."_ Soul calibur said suddenly. Sigfried looked into its eye.

"_My body is near, I can bring it here of my own free will. Only I ask your permission to leave a shard with those of an unpoisoned mind."_ Soul calibur asked looking into his eyes. Siegfried nodded.

"Do it." He said calmly.

"No one can know other than you two that I have Link. I'm off." Olcadan said calmly. Siegfried watched as the owl-esque man climbed down the stairs with Link in his arms.

--

"_Xianghua…you are to give up use of me for the time being."_ Soul calibur said suddenly. The four stopped.

"What? Not right now! I have to save Link!"

"_The Hylian can no longer be found."_ Soul calibur answered honestly. They stared at the blade as it began to float out of Xianghua's hand.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Xianghau demanded. Four shards of Soul calibur fell from its blade. Each of them caught one. They all watched as one more shard broke off and began to float to the other side of the bridge.

"_Make haste for the samurai is fading fast…."_ With that, Soul calibur disappeared.

"Damn it!" Xianghua screamed as she charged to the cathedral.

"Mrs. Xiaghu wait!" Talim called. Sophitia and Taki followed quickly.

There was nothing but an empty cathedral. There were bloodstains in some areas. The dome of Soul edge's energy faded away. The sun shone through brightly. Xianghua walked slowly to the master sword that lay abandoned on the ground. Tears rolled down her eyes as she fell in front of it and carefully lifted the blade. She felt as though she was going to vomit if she didn't scream. It was coming, just as the rain began to fall again.

"LINK!" she screamed before pressing the master sword against her.

"No…!" Talim gasped as she began to cry. Sophitia stared at a red cloth blowing around in the wind. It was Raphael's, and he was gone to… Taki forced back her tears.

"See if you can find any clues, I'm going to go and find Mitsurugi." She said as she turned her back.

"There will be no need." Said a voice. The four turned and saw a tall dark man with a scythe place Mitsurugi on the ground.

"Who are you?" Sohitia demanded. The man had a hood pulled low over his face.

"My name is Zasalamel, and there are a few things that you all need to understand about the world we will soon be living in."

That's it!! One more chapter coming up!! Then it's THE END!! R&R!!


	30. Separate Ways

To quote Sigfried: THIS IS…THE END!!

Enjoy!!

Ch. 30

Raphael dragged himself through the forest. Flambert rested in its sheath as its master limped through the forest. His eyes had turned from dark blue to an abnormal burning bronze.

"…Nightmare…you wretched cur…Link is…" his voice trailed off as he fell foreword on the forest floor. Tears rolled from his eyes.

"This world is wretched…do you see what they have done to you, Link? Very soon, they will do this to Amy…I will avenge you…" he said as he continued.

"I will…I will…I will…create _my_ own world…one for Amy and me…one…where you could have lived with us…Link…" Rapahel leaned heavily on a tree and gazed out to the familiar castle looking far away in the distance.

"…A world…where Sophitia…Link…Amy and…me…will be…happy…" more tears of madness and anxiety rolled down his face as he continued through the forest.

--

"You almost doomed this entire world because of it." Zasalamel explained tossing No Name to Xianghua. It clattered and rolled to her side. Xianghua grabbed it and glared.

"Shut up!" she barked.

"Denial. This cost all of you two of your comrades. You even lost Soul calibur. If you wish to defeat Nightmare and Soul edge, you will search for a cathedral in the mountains in one more year, after you all have trained and actually become strong." He explained as he turned his back to them.

"Wait! Where did Nightmare go?" Xianghua demanded.

"That I will not reveal to you." He said calmly. Xianghua stared.

"I did not bring the tyrant back so that he could merely be killed once more." He explained.

"_You_ brought him back?" Sophitia asked sternly.

"Yes. And soon this world will be within my design. You are all pawns, face reality." He said glaring at them.

"You bastard!" Xianghua yelled as she lifted the master sword.

"Train with that sword. The sword of the Hylian, for you are the only other that is not a pawn. Go your separate ways, all of you." He said looking down at Mitsurugi.

"For together there is _no_ strength." He said before melting away at the shadows. They were all silent for a moment. Taki moved to Mitsurugi and examined his wounds.

"He is wrong!" Talim said sternly.

"There is power in us when we are together!" she said quickly.

"No, there isn't." Xianghua said as she stood. They all looked over at her.

"But-" Xianghua cut her off.

"I'm going home. And I _will_ train with this sword! I'm not sure how I can eve wield this thing but, I swear," she began.

"I will _never_ hesitate again!" she said determined. Her eyes burned with it. The master sword didn't repel her, nor did it giver her strength. It was reacting to the shard of soul calibur. Xianghua held No Name in her other hand and looked at the others.

"Link's death was my fault because I held back. I'll never forgive myself, not until that bastard is dead!"

"We will all train. In our own way or die by it." Sophitia said staring up at the light of the sun that shone on them.

"Our goodbye does not need to be now." Taki said walking over to Mitsurugi. The three watched silently as she pulled the samurai onto her back.

"He will need an explination. I believe it would be less of a shock if I wasn't the only one to give it to him" Taki explained. The three nodded.

--

Siegfried walked through the forest in silence with Soul edge and Soul caliber in his arms. The two continued to battle each other.

"_Siegfried…I bid you take a shard of me once you leave us in an isolated location."_ Soul calibur said calmly.

"No. If I were to do so Nightmare would easily find me."

_"HE STILL WILL."_ Soul edge said glaring at Siegfried. Siegfried didn't make eye contact with it. He only looked at Soul edge's reflection in Soul calibur's eye.

_"ZASALAMEL HAS CREATED A PHANTOM BODY FOR ME. I WILL FIND YOU WITH EASE AND I __WILL__ RECLAIME CONTROLL OVER YOUR BODY."_ Soul edge hissed.

"No Soul edge you will not." Siegfried answered.

"I will not die until I have atoned for my sins."

--

"So now you understand?" Olcadan asked watching Link stare out at the lake. Link nodded.

"Are they all alive?" Link asked.

"Yes. They're going to go their own way soon. The six sages have trusted me with this task, and I swear to you that I'll fill it out." Olcadan promised.

"And Raphael?" Link asked quietly. Olcadan frowned.

"I will teach you how to remove Soul edge's poison permanently. However," he began. Link turned and looked at him.

"Not one thought about your friends while we train. They have to figure out their own destinies as you have to figure out your own." He said lifting his index finger. Link nodded before looking back at the destroyed cathedral. It was crazy but it made sense. If he took the master sword with him, Soul edge would easily find him. One full year to train, just one…

"Olcadan. Let's go." Link said walking over to Epona and Raphael's horse. Olcadan pulled Raphael's horse after him as Epona walked with them.

"We'll sell this one for some weapons, then we'll go to the temple where I awoke." He explained.

"Right." He agreed. Link gazed back at the cathedral one last time. One year, where he couldn't think about any of them, and one year where the man named Siegfried walked the earth. His senses told him something. They told him, that something was coming. Something enormous, where everyone would have to fight. Something that couldn't be avoided in any way…Something that would bring tragedy or happiness. Link rubbed Epona's snout soothingly. Something he would train, and become much more powerful for. For this world's sake, for Hyrule's sake for the sake of his friends, and for Xianghua's sake.

Something that will someday bring them all back together…

TO BE CONTINUED

END OF PART ONE!! R&R!!


End file.
